PTI leader Hammad Azhar told an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Tuesday that he is kept under constant watch in his jail cell. He said two CCTV cameras are installed in the cell, and one of them also monitors the bathroom. He made the complaint when he was produced before the court after his 14-day judicial remand, a period of custody ordered by a court, in the Jinnah House attack case had expired.
Complaints about privacy and basic facilities
Azhar told the court that he had to bathe with his clothes on because of the cameras. He also said there was neither a bed nor a mattress in his cell, so he had been sleeping on the floor, though he added that he had grown used to it. His counsel, Abuzar Salman Niazi, filed an application seeking B-class facilities, a privileged jail category that generally brings better conditions, and the removal of the cameras. The counsel argued that the devices violated his client's right to privacy.
Azhar also claimed that he was being held in the same cell where former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was detained decades ago, before his hanging. He said he is writing a book about his jail experiences and wants future generations to read it. He asked the court to provide at least a chair and a table so he could continue writing, adding, “I can manage without a bed or mattress.”
Case background and next hearing
Sarwar Road police booked several PTI leaders and workers, including Azhar, over the attack on and vandalism of Jinnah House during the May 9 protests against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. Azhar was arrested in September this year after more than three years in hiding. At the hearing, the investigating officer told the court that a supplementary investigation report against him was being prepared and that more time was being sought.
ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill adjourned the hearing till November 24 and sent Azhar back to judicial custody until then. The adjournment means the court will take up the matter again on that date.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- May 9: PTI protests against the arrest of Imran Khan take place, and Jinnah House is attacked, according to the police case.
- September (this year): Azhar is arrested after more than three years of hiding.
- Tuesday: Azhar is produced before the ATC after his 14-day judicial remand expires, and complains about the CCTV cameras and jail conditions.
- November 24: The next hearing, to which the judge adjourned the case.
Aasan alfaaz mein
PTI leader Hammad Azhar ne ATC mein shikayat ki hai ke unki jail cell mein do CCTV camera lage hain, aur ek bathroom par bhi nazar rakhta hai. Unhon ne bed aur mattress na hone ka bhi kaha aur chair aur table maangi hai. Adalat ne sunwai 24 November tak mulatwi kar di hai, aur wo abhi judicial custody mein hain. Aam shehri ke liye iska matlab hai ke qaidiyon ki privacy aur jail ki basic suhoolatain bhi adalat mein utthai ja sakti hain.
