LAHORE - A judicial magistrate on Tuesday sent captain (r) Safdar, son-in-law of ex-prime minister and incarcerated PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, to prison on judicial remand for 14 days in a case regarding hate speech.

Judicial Magistrate Rana Asif Ali rejected a request to discharge the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader in the case. The court also turned down the requested of the Punjab police to get physical remand of Safdar for interrogation.

The magisterial court directed the prosecution and the defence counsel to advance arguments on Oct 24 in a bail petition filed by the accused.

A day earlier, the PML-N leader was arrested by the police from the motorway on the charge of inciting public against the state.

Safdar was arrested on a charge of “hate speech” when he was travelling on the motorway from Bhera to Lahore.

On October 11, police had registered a case against him for speaking against state institutions.

On the issue, the PML-N thinks that the government had stooped too low to suppress the opposition’s voice.

On the other side, the federal government says the arrest is as per the law. “Safdar has been taken into custody over provocative speech. Whoever takes the law into their hands will be dealt with severely,” said Advisor of Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq the other day while commenting on the arrest of the PML-N leader.

Punjmin ex-MD remanded

in NAB custody

An accountability court remanded Punjab Mineral Development Corporation (Punjmin) former managing director Manzar Hayat in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for seven days in Chiniot mines case.

The suspect is accused of forwarding the summary of the contract to then secretary of mines and minerals department, Imtiaz Alam, who is also a suspect in this case, and got it approval from him.