ISLAMABAD: A local court on Monday extended the physical remand of three suspects in Dr Imran Farooq murder case till January 4.

Though the matter was related to the anti-terrorism court (ATC), due to absence of two ATC judges, the accused were produced before Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Raja Khurram Ali Khan.

The suspects - Khalid Shamim, Syed Mohsin Ali and Moazzam Ali - allegedly belong to All Pakistan Muttahida Students Organisation, the student wing of the MQM. The investigation officer of the FIA submitted an application to the court seeking an extension in the physical remand of the suspects. The application contended that the suspects had hatched the conspiracy and abetted in the murder of Dr Imran Farooq, considering him as a threat to the leadership of the MQM.

The investigation officer informed the court that the FIA had also sought the details of the bank accounts of the accused persons and required their custody for further investigations. However, Shahid Kamal Khan and Nadeem Rehman, the counsel representing the accused Moazzam Ali and Mohsin Ali, respectively, opposed the extension in the physical remand.

After hearing the arguments of the lawyers as well as the special public prosecutor, the judge observed that since the accused were being interrogated, the request for the grant of physical remand was allowed.

The ADSJ, however, directed the investigation officer to produce the accused before the ATC after the expiry of the remand.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2015