In a new development on Wednesday, the Islamabad court ordered former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, along with his guarantors, to present themselves in a case regarding sedition charges.
The Additional Sessions Judge, Tahir Abbas Supra, presided over the hearing of the case against the erstwhile leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), accusing him of inciting organizations to rebel. The court session saw the submission of a compliance report relating to the summons issued for Fawad Chaudhry.
The judge voiced dissatisfaction with the manner in which the police officer submitted the compliance report, challenging the officer on the proper procedure for dealing with such summons. The court questioned, “The compliance report is signed, the identity card number is written, a witness is kept, how will you teach your juniors?”
Upon questioning whether the compliance officer had attempted to contact Fawad, the officer responded affirmatively but mentioned that the former PTI leader’s phone was turned off.
Nawaz Sharif will go straight to prison upon return: Fawad Chaudhary
The court then instructed the compliance officer to try once more to reach out to Fawad, presently a member of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party. The officer was asked to inform Fawad about the ongoing case against him and probe the reasons behind his absence from the court.
The court subsequently ordered that summoning notices be served at Fawad’s residences in Lahore and Islamabad. The proceedings of the case were adjourned until June 17.
