FIA given custody of Rawalpindi cleric for seven days.

Byline: Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD -- An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday handed over the custody of Rawalpindi-based cleric Agha Iftikharuddin Mirza to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for seven days for hurling threats and abuses at Justice Qazi Faez Isa and other judges of the Supreme Court in a video lecture that went viral on social media.

In a related development, Mirza filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, tendering unconditional apology and claiming that in a 'private meeting' he 'unintentionally' utteArAed some words against honourable judges. He also claimed that the video was neither recorded nor made viral on social media with his consent.

Last week, the Chief Justice of Pakistan had taken suo motu notice of the video containing derogatory, contemptuous and scandalous language against the judiciary, specifically Justice Isa.

On Tuesday, the FIA produced Mirza before ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan and sought his custody on physical remand for interrogating him to reach his accomplices.

Iftikharuddin tells SC video recorded without his consent

The court approved the physical remand for seven days with a directive for the investigation agency to get him medically examined.

Mriza is facing proceedings under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act, 2016, Section 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, as well as Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Section 6 of the ATA deals with the definition of terrorism by explaining that any threat if designed to coerce and intimidate or overawe the government or...

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