An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi granted a three-day extension on Thursday to the physical remand of Chanesar Town Chairman Farhan Ghani and several other accused. They are being held in a case concerning the alleged assault and attempted murder of a government employee, which has been registered under the stringent Anti-Terrorism Act. The court has directed police to present the suspects again on August 30.
The proceedings saw the prosecution seeking more time for investigation. However, the presiding judge sharply criticized the investigating officer for the lack of progress made so far. Expressing clear dissatisfaction, the judge questioned the purpose of a further remand, stating, “What will you do with more remand? So far you have done nothing.” The court specifically reprimanded the officer for the failure to obtain witness statements.
The case originates from an incident on August 22, when complainant Hafiz Sohail, a government employee, was allegedly attacked while he was supervising fibre cable work on a service road off Sharae Faisal. A First Information Report (FIR) was subsequently lodged at the Ferozabad Police Station, naming Ghani and five associates for charges including attempted murder and terrorism.
Farhan Ghani, who is the younger brother of Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, surrendered to authorities earlier this week. He has categorically denied the allegations, claiming to the court that he only questioned the crew about their permission to dig and asked them to stop when they could not produce an official No-Objection Certificate (NOC), insisting that he did not assault anyone.
