Anti-terrorism court places Mushtaq Ahmad on three-day police remand after case linked to solidarity gathering for Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has granted police a three-day physical remand of former senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan in connection with a first information report (FIR) registered over a protest held at F-10 Markaz in the Pakistani capital.
The FIR was lodged on July 31 at Shalimar Police Station on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Ghulam Murtaza. It names Mushtaq Ahmad, Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai and others, alleging that they led a gathering of around 400 to 500 people in the F-10 sector.
Ex-Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Sent on Physical Remand Over F-10 Protest:
According to the police complaint, the former senator delivered what it described as “incendiary” speeches through loudspeakers, forced shops to close and led chants against “current government institutions”. The FIR states that the group then moved towards Sambal Road with the intention of reaching Main Jinnah Avenue and blocking roads.
Police said the district administration announced via loudspeaker that the gathering should disperse because it lacked a no-objection certificate (NOC). The case alleges that at around 7:10pm, protesters blocked a main road near Shalimar Plaza. It further accuses participants of vandalising a media DSNG vehicle and private cars, pelting stones, assaulting police officers, snatching anti-riot helmets and issuing threats.
On Monday, an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) handed Mushtaq Ahmad and a co-accused, identified as Daniyal, to police for three days of physical remand after the prosecution sought a longer period. The court directed that the suspects be produced again once the remand ends.
Mushtaq Ahmad Faces FIR After AJK Solidarity Protest:
The protest was organised as a solidarity and condolence gathering linked to unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Mushtaq Ahmad’s associates had claimed that he was denied entry into AJK and briefly detained by security personnel while attempting to travel there, an incident they linked to his support for ongoing demonstrations in the region. After his release, he publicly invited people, including journalists, students and Kashmiris living in Islamabad, to attend the F-10 event.
Supporters of the former senator, including voices from political parties, have described the gathering as a peaceful expression of solidarity and criticised the FIR as retaliatory. They have pointed to the inclusion of serious charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act and other sections of the Pakistan Penal Code as disproportionate to a political demonstration.
Mushtaq Ahmad, a former Jamaat-e-Islami senator from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who later founded the Pakistan Rights Movement, has a history of leading protests on human rights and regional issues. The case comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the AJK legislative elections and related protests in the region.
Police and the administration have maintained that the gathering violated regulations and escalated into disruption and violence against public order. The investigation continues during the remand period.