An Islamabad district and sessions court on Tuesday granted police one-day physical remand of former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry in a case pertaining to financial fraud.

The ex-PTI leader was arrested from his Islamabad residence last week in a police raid and was moved to an undisclosed location, police sources had told Dawn. His family had claimed he was “abducted by men in plainclothes”.

According to a first information report, Fawad was arrested in a case registered at the Aabpara police station on August 22, 2022, under sections 109 (punishment of abetment if the Act abetted committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 341(punishment for wrongful restraint), and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Besides Fawad, AML chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, PTI leaders Murad Saeed, Faisal Javaid Khan, Asad Umer, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Ali Nawaz Khan, Faisal Vawda, Shahzad Wasim, Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, Shibli Faraz, Saifullah Khan Niazi, Shehryar Afridi, Fiazul Hassan Chohan, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Asad Qaiser, Zahir Abbas Khokhar, Ghulam Sarwar Khan and over 1,000 unidentified people were also booked in the FIR.

On Sunday, the former minister was remanded in police custody for two days.

Today, Fawad was brought to court amid tight security. Footage aired on television showed his hands bound and face covered with a black sack.

The hearing was attended by prosecutor Adnan Ali and defence counsels Ali Bukhari, Faisal Chaudhry and Qamar Inayat. Fawad’s wife Hiba Chaudhry was also in attendance.

At the outset of the proceedings, Faisal urged the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the police for covering his client’s face despite orders issued at the previous hearing. “He is a former minister and a Supreme Court lawyer,” he said.

Faisal also requested the judicial magistrate to grant Fawad permission to meet his wife and other family members.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor told the court that Fawad was not cooperating with the police. Providing the case details, Ali said the former minister had promised the complainant a job in return for Rs5 million but never hired him. When asked to return the money, Fawad allegedly threatened the complainant, he added.

Ali subsequently sought a five-day extension in the former minister’s remand. “We have to recover a pistol and money from him and also conduct an identification parade,” he said.

However, Bukhari objected to the prosecutor’s request. He read out loud the FIR lodged against Fawad in court and highlighted that it didn’t mention anything connected to taking money.

“The case registered against my client is blind. There is no witness in this case,” he contended, adding that Fawad was arrested on a mere accusation.

Bukhari further asked if there had been any investigation progress during the two days the former minister was in police custody.

When he spoke, Qamar Inayat, one of Fawad’s lawyers, stated that the court must determine whether the former minister was arrested on the pretext of “political victimisation”. This case was registered through the incorrect use of law, he argued.

After the arguments concluded, the verdict was reserved.

Fawad was one of many PTI leaders who had left the party following violence in the country on May 9, when chief Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises.

Although Fawad had said at the time that he was “taking a break from politics”, he was seen at the launch ceremony of the Jahangir Khan Tareen-led Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) in June.

However, Fawad has kept quiet on whether he is officially a part of the IPP — which has been joined by several PTI leaders in the aftermath on May 9.