Fawad Chaudhry decries poor jail facilities, asks court to ensure he isn't insulted
Sunday, November 05, 2023
Fawad was arrested from his residence in Islamabad on November 4.
The politician was brought to court handcuffed and his face covered with a cloth.
A complaint was filed against him for demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh.
ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has been handed over to the police after a court in the federal capital approved a two-day remand of the politician, a day after he was arrested from his residence in Islamabad.
A court at the district court complex ordered the politician to undergo a medical examination and directed the police to facilitate him meeting family members.
The orders came after Fawad's arrest on Saturday, which his wife Hiba claimed was carried out without any reason. However, it later emerged that the politician was taken into custody after a complaint was filed against him at Islamabad's Aabpara police station for demanding a bribe of Rs 5 million in exchange for a job.
After Fawad's arrest, his brother and lawyer Faisal Chaudhary filed a case in the Magistrate's Court seeking his recovery and release.
The court then conducted a hearing on the objection, during which Magistrate Ahmed Shahzad Gondal asked the Islamabad police for a report on the politician's arrest.
His wife Hiba Fawad Chaudhry had earlier claimed that her husband was detained and taken to an unidentified location without giving any reason for his arrest.
Earlier today during the hearing, Fawad was brought to the district court complex under police protection with his face covered with a cloth and his hands handcuffed.
The politician's wife and lawyers, Faisal and Faraz Chaudhry, as well as advocate Qamar Inayat Raja, were also present in the courtroom where he met them after seeking permission from Justice Abbas Shah.
The politician's brother and lawyer asked why Fawad's face was covered with a cloth.
The police, on the other hand, sought a five-day remand of the ex-minister after a charge of accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh in exchange for employment was registered against him.
"Fawad Chaudhary was bitter over a demand for money for which he threatened to kill me," the prosecutor said in a First Information Report (FIR) against the politician, alleging that he had given Rs 5 lakh to the former minister.
Meanwhile, Fawad requested the court to either grant him judicial custody or allow him access to a doctor. He also denied knowing the plaintiff.
"I am a former federal minister and Supreme Court lawyer. I should not be insulted. There is no bathroom where custody is sought," he said, pleading with the court.
The former minister asked the court to provide him with social facilities and asked for permission to see his children.
