Karachi court approves three-day physical remand of PTI leader Ali Zaidi

• Ali Zaidi was arrested on charges of fraud and issuing threats.
• Court also rejects Zaidi's plea seeking to discharge from case.
• He was presented before judicial magistrate (Malir).

A local court in Karachi on Monday approved Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Zaidi's three-day physical remand in a case filed against him for "fraud and issuing threats".

Zaidi was arrested on Saturday on charges of fraud and issuing threats in a case registered against him at the Ibrahim Hyderi Police Station in the metropolis by a citizen named Fazal Elahi.

During the hearing today, the court also rejected the PTI leader's plea seeking to discharge from the case.

Today, the former federal minister was presented before a judicial magistrate in Malir District.

At the outset of the hearing, the police told the court that they had presented the former minister within 24 hours of arrest.

Zaidi's lawyer maintained that it was not a criminal offence and added: “It falls under the jurisdiction of a civil court instead of a criminal court.”

"The FIR doesn't state anything about how the transaction was made until now. Neither, the complainant had attached a bank cheque or anything else as the evidence of any exchange, with the complaint," the lawyer said.

He objected to the delay in filing the complaint since the matter pertains to 2013 and asked if the police had the authority to register a case in such a matter.

“The complainant Fazal Ilahi gave such a big amount but there is no witness for that. Ali Zaidi should be discharged under Section 63 of CrPC,” the lawyer requested the court.

Meanwhile, Zaidi claimed that the police hadn't presented him within 24 hours as he had been arrested on Saturday but the police claimed they had arrested him after midnight.

He maintained that he had never met the man who had lodged the case against him.

“I don't have that much money, check my record with FBR,” he said, claiming that he was not in the country on the day the incident happened according to the case details.

At this point, Zaidi’s passport was submitted to the court.

While giving arguments, the petitioner’s lawyer maintained that Zaidi used to work in the real estate business.

“They are diverting the case towards a case of political victimisation,” the lawyer argued, calling for an investigation into “financial murders”.

He requested the court to send Zaidi into physical remand.

The court then reserved the verdict which was announced later.