Imran Khan's nephew Shershah sent on judicial remand in Jinnah House attack case

Lahore [Pakistan], August 29 : An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Thursday sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan's nephew, Shershah Khan, to jail on judicial remand in connection with the Jinnah House attack in the May 2023 riots, Dawn reported.

Shershah, son of Imran's sister Aleema Khan, was arrested by Lahore Police from outside his home on August 22. His brother Shahrez Khan was taken into custody a day earlier and handed over to the police for eight days on similar allegations. Upon completion of his five-day physical remand, Shershah was presented before ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill amid tight security, Dawn stated.

Advocate Rana Mudassar Umer, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, and Barrister Taimur Malik represented Shershah, while state prosecutor Imtiaz Ahmad Sipra appeared on behalf of the prosecution. Aleema Khan and her sisters, Uzma Khan and Noreen, were also present in court. The prosecution sought a 30-day physical remand, while the defence requested that Shershah be discharged from the case. Judge Gill, however, rejected the plea and sent him on judicial remand.

According to Dawn, Aleema also filed a bail plea on Shershah's behalf through Advocate Umer. "The suspect has been arrested on political motives," the plea said, adding that there was no evidence against him and requesting his release on bail.

The court order noted that Shershah's photogrammetry test had been conducted, and a "wooden danda (baton)" was recovered from his possession. Judge Gill observed, "So far as investigation into the extent of social media accounts is concerned, in the present era of technology as well as digital devices, social media accounts of each and every person could be easily traced and recovered without the support of the accused." He added, "This court is of the further view that there is no sufficient ground available for further physical remand."

At the hearing's outset, prosecutor Sipra informed the court that a baton had been recovered from Shershah, but added his "mobile, tear gas mask and social media accounts were yet to be recovered." Advocate Umer countered that his client was "falsely accused" and that "his arrest in the case was illegal."

Dawn reported that Umer also told the court Shershah had not been served any notice for 27 months. Barrister Malik later wrote on X that they had submitted a copy of a similar case where PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid was discharged, noting, "On similar facts, Dr Yasmin Rashid was discharged from this case."

Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan have expressed concern over the arrests of Shahrez and Shershah. Amnesty termed them a "political witch-hunt." Shahrez's wife said her husband was in Chitral with family on May 9, 2023, and shared pictures from the trip, while the PTI maintained that a video being circulated of him was actually from a party rally in Kahna in September 2024.

Last week, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry defended the arrests, saying they could not be dismissed as "fake, fabricated [or] politically motivated."

The May 9 riots erupted after Imran Khan's arrest, with PTI supporters vandalising military and government buildings, including the Lahore corps commander's residence. The state subsequently launched a major crackdown on the party, detaining thousands of supporters and senior leaders. Several PTI leaders have since been convicted and disqualified from holding parliamentary roles.

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