KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Monday extended the police remand of a Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Jam Awais Bijar in a case pertaining to the murder of a man whose tortured body was found at his farmhouse in Malir.

Police said that the tortured body of 27-year-old Nazim Jokhio was found at the farmhouse in Jam Goth on Nov 3. Later, the MPA along with two others was arrested and remanded in police custody for questioning till Nov 8.

After the expiry of the first physical remand, the investigating officer again produced the suspect before the court of a juridical magistrate (Malir) and submitted that there were two absconders in the case.

He sought an extension in the remand of the MPA for further interrogations and arrest of the absconding suspects.

The lawyer for complainant argued that the case was not being properly investigated as the police had not inspected the place of incident and the mobile phone of the deceased was also not recovered.

He submitted that relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 may be incorporated in the case as it was an act of terrorism.

While granting extension in the physical remand of the MPA, the magistrate directed the IO to produce the suspect again on Nov 11 along with a progress report.

Victim’s brother Afzal Jokhio, also complainant of the case, had said that the MPA was involved in his brother’s murder since he had tried to prevent the lawmaker’s guests from hunting houbara bustard in Thatta district.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2021