LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Friday remanded singer Umar Aftab Malik in 10-day police custody for his alleged involvement in the Jinnah House attack case of May 9 riots.

The investigating officer of Sarwar Road police presented the singer before the court and sought his physical remand for 30 days.

Advocate Azhar Siddique appeared on behalf of the singer and opposed the remand request of the police. He said the singer had been living in the country since May 9 events, but the police never arrested him for over a year.

He alleged that the police arrested his client after one year on the basis of a supplementary statement of an already arrested suspect only to punish him for making songs in support of PTI. He asked the court to discharge the singer in the case.

However, Judge Irfan Haider allowed a 10-day physical remand of the suspect and directed the police to present him again on Oct 21.

Sarwar Road police had registered a case against leaders and workers of the PTI for attacking and vandalising the corps commander house of Lahore during the protests of May 9 last year against the arrest of former premier Imran Khan.

Separately, Justice Ali Zia Bajwa of the Lahore High Court recused himself from a petition challenging the arrest of singer Umar Malik. He refused to hear the petition for personal reasons and sent the file to the chief justice with a request to place it before any other appropriate bench.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2024