KARACHI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi has handed over Sindh provincial minister Syed Ghani’s brother, Chanesar Town Chairman Farhan Ghani, along with two co-accused, to police on a four-day physical remand in a case of allegedly assaulting and threatening government employees.
The three accused, including Farhan Ghani, Shakeel, and Qamar Ahmed, were produced before the ATC by Karachi police on Monday.
During the hearing, the court questioned the prosecutor and the investigating officer about the nature of the complainant’s employment and the work they were performing at the time of the incident.
The investigation officer informed the court that the complainant and others were working under official supervision, but the prosecutor failed to clarify which government department employed them. When asked about the allegations, police stated that the accused had beaten and threatened the complainant and other officials.
The court inquired why provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) had been applied. The prosecutor responded that since government employees and workers were assaulted, the ATA clauses were invoked. Upon further questioning, it was revealed that the complainant’s team had been laying fibre-optic cables.
When the judge asked about legal representation, Farhan Ghani told the court that they had no lawyer present. Speaking in his defence, Farhan Ghani denied the accusations, stating, “I did not assault anyone. These are false allegations. I was merely passing by and stopped to ask what work they were doing and under whose permission, since, as Town Chairman, it is my authority to question and stop illegal work.”
He further said that he had only demanded road excavation permits, which were not shown to him. The prosecutor, however, requested a 14-day remand for investigation. After considering arguments, the court granted police custody of the accused until August 28, ordering that they be produced with a progress report at the next hearing.
