Lahore ATC sends Imran Khan’s nephew Shahrez to jail

An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Saturday sent PTI founder Imran Khan’s nephew, Shahrez Khan, to jail in a case pertaining to the Jinnah House attack during the May 9, 2023 riots.

Shahrez, the son of Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan, was arrested by Lahore police from his mother’s residence on August 21. His brother, Shershah Khan, was detained a day later in a similar case and has been remanded to jail after physical remand.

On Saturday, Shahrez was produced before ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill on expiry of his eight-day physical remand. Prosecutor Imtiaz Ahmad Sipra requested the court to grant 30 more days of police custody, arguing that further investigation was required, including verification of Shahrez’s social media accounts.

Defence counsel Rana Mudassar Umer and PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja opposed the request, asking the court to discharge their client from the case.

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Judge Gill rejected the plea for extended custody and ordered that Shahrez be sent to jail on judicial remand until September 13. The court also directed the investigating officer to file the charge sheet by that date.

During proceedings, the prosecution told the court that a teargas cane had been recovered from Shahrez and that his photogrammetry test had been carried out. The defence, however, argued that no recovery had been made and the investigation was already complete. Advocate Umer also submitted a bail application, calling the arrest “illegal” and demanding Shahrez’s release.

The defence presented affidavits, photographs, and travel records to claim that Shahrez was in Chitral between May 7 and May 12, 2023, and not in Lahore when the May 9 riots occurred. They argued that he was being implicated solely because of his relation to the PTI founder.