LHC reserves verdict on family’s plea for access to Hammad Azhar
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday reserved its verdict on a petition seeking permission to have access to PTI leader Hammad Azhar for his family and lawyers. A two-member bench headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi heard the petition filed by Hammad’s mother Ishrat Azhar. Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi, on behalf of the petitioner, submitted that an application seeking permission to meet…
The Lahore High Court has reserved its decision on a petition seeking permission for Hammad Azhar's family and lawyers to visit him. Ishrat Azhar, Hammad's mother, filed the petition, arguing that Hammad, a PTI leader, should be allowed to meet family members and legal counsel. A two-member bench, led by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, heard the case.
The counsel argued that an accused has the constitutional right to meet family and lawyers, and that the police were denying such access. Hammad was arrested in connection with the May 9 riots and is currently in police custody. The government's representative informed the court that Hammad is a political figure, and around 50 people daily seek permission to meet arrested accused.
An application for biometric verification of the petitioner for the purpose of challenging remand was also required, but such facilities were not available in police custody. The bench questioned whether Hammad's remand could not be challenged due to this. The court subsequently reserved its verdict on the petition. Hammad's arrest is linked to the May 9 riots and the attack on Jinnah House.
Notices were issued to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, the chief secretary, and other respondents, asking them to submit replies by the next hearing.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
