ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad District and Sessions Court on Wednesday sent on judicial remand the students arrested from the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) hostels.
When Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas took up the case, students’ lawyer Riyasat Ali Azad read out the text of the FIR, stating that 29 students were currently in police custody.
“I don’t delve into technicalities; only one of the charges levelled against them is non-bailable,” he argued, adding that the FIR mentioned sloganeering but not the seizure of weapons. He said the students should be discharged as the case did not constitute offences under sections 324 or 382.
District Bar Association President Naeem Gujar questioned whether any laws applied to the university. “First, they admitted these students and allotted rooms to them. Even tenants cannot be evicted without notice,” he said, adding, “Among these students are future lawyers, judges and politicians. This is a mockery of the law. The investigating officer who imposed section 382 deserves a 21-gun salute.”
The defence lawyers argued that additional charges had been added to the FIR, which did not state that the students had snatched anything from anyone. “The FIR also does not name any injured party,” they said.
Lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha questioned, “Is martial law in place in the country? A retired colonel lodges cases against the students’ future. We stood outside the police station yesterday but were not allowed to meet the lawyers. A police officer even said that Baloch students are illegal.”
He further asked, “Is this the face of the state—lodging robbery cases against students?”
Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari said the police disrespected the court by whisking away the students from outside the courtroom and even tried to run over lawyers with a police van.
QAU’s lawyer, Raja Zahoorul Hassan, argued that those arrested were not students but “outsiders” responsible for the drug issue on campus. He said the Islamabad High Court had already dismissed their petitions. “If any of the arrested individuals are indeed university students, we request that they be discharged,” he added.
During Hassan’s arguments, the students chanted “shame, shame,” prompting the judge to express displeasure.
The prosecution requested a 10-day physical remand of the arrested individuals. The court initially reserved its decision after hearing arguments but later ordered that the individuals be sent to jail on judicial remand, directing that they be presented again on August 13 after the completion of the 14-day remand.
A day earlier, Islamabad police had said that some students were “relocated” during the evacuation of QAU hostels.
Several videos circulated on social media since the morning of July 29 showed Islamabad police personnel outside the hostels, while other clips showed students being arrested or taken away.
According to police, “students had vacated 11 hostels, while the university administration said the remaining four hostels still had some students who refused to vacate despite instructions and were residing illegally.”
The capital police further stated, “The operation was carried out at the written request of the QAU administration and with the assistance of security guards. Those who resisted the peaceful operation were relocated from the hostels.”