Islamabad ATC rejects police request for physical remand of ex-GB CM Khalid Khurshid

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad rejected a police request for 30-day physical remand of former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Khalid Khurshid, sending him instead to jail on judicial remand. The rejection came during a hearing for a case registered over the November 26 protest led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Police had presented Khurshid in court, seeking physical remand, but the judge denied the request, instead ordering his confinement in judicial custody.

The protest saw over 10,000 PTI activists defy a public gathering ban and lockdown, clashing with 20,000 security forces in Islamabad's Red Zone. Following the clashes, Khurshid, along with other PTI leaders, was arrested and subsequently registered under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act. Khurshid had been staying at the KP chief minister's residence since 2023 to evade arrest.

The court also discharged PTI workers arrested in connection with two cases linked to the party's recent long march, rejecting a request for an adjournment to conduct their identification parade. The defense argued that the workers had spent over 40 days in custody and had been falsely implicated by the police, but the court accepted these arguments and ordered their discharge.