A local court in Lahore on Monday rejected the police’s request for physical remand of Alamgir Wazir, who was detained two days ago in a sedition case registered against the organisers and participants of the recently held Students Solidarity March, and sent him to jail on a 14-day judicial remand. Police had requested 10-day physical remand of Alamgir so they could arrest other suspects by having him identify them in CCTV footage.
The Civil Lines police on behalf of the state had registered a case on sedition charges against the march organisers, including Alamgir (nephew of MNA Ali Wazir), Ammar Ali Jan, Farooq Tariq, Iqbal Lala, father of Mashal Khan (who was lynched on the premises of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan over false blasphemy allegations), Mohammad Shabbir, and Kamil Khan, besides 250-300 unidentified participants.
Capital City Police Officer Zulfiqar Hameed earlier told reports that Alamgir was arrested in the case two days ago. He said the case was registered on behalf of the state because the students were delivering provocative speeches and chanting slogans against the state and its institutions, adding that police would arrest others involved in the case as well.
Alamgir, a former Punjab University student who went on to become chairperson of the Pakhtun Council, went missing from the campus two days ago. He had completed his BS in Gender Studies from the university last year and was there to get his degree. He was staying at hostel No 19 with a cousin when he went missing.
The Pakhtun Council students had also protested against Alamgir’s arrest outside the Punjab University vice chancellor’s house condemning the action and demanding his release.
During the proceedings at the Cantt Kachhery, Alamgir was presented in court as police requested for a 10-day physical remand. Police told the court that Alamgir had been arrested on December 1 for an anti-state speech, adding that in violation of the sound system act, he had made an inflammatory speech against state institutions.
Additionally, they said he had created difficulties for the public and violated the law by blocking a road. Alamgir’s lawyer, however, rejected the police request for physical remand, saying since they had CCTV footage, nothing further was required from his client.