LAHORE: PTI leader Hammad Azhar on Tuesday complained to an antiterrorism court (ATC) about inadequate facilities in jail, alleging he had been kept under constant surveillance through two CCTV cameras installed in his cell, including one monitoring even the bathroom.
Earlier, he was produced before the court after his 14-day judicial remand in the Jinnah House attack case related to the May 9 riots expired.
His counsel, Abuzar Salman Niazi, also filed an application seeking B-class facilities for his client and removal of cameras from his cell, arguing that the gadgets violated the prisoner’s right to privacy.
Addressing the court, Azhar said he had to bathe with his clothes on because of the CCTV cameras monitoring him. He also complained that there was neither a bed nor a mattress in his cell and he had to sleep on the floor. However, he added that he had now become accustomed to sleeping on the floor.
Azhar claimed he was beingkept in the same cell where the former prime minister and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was detained several decades ago before his hanging.
He added he was writing a book about his jail experiences and wanted future generations to read it.
The PTI leader requested the court to provide him with at least a chair and a table in his cell, so that he could continue writing. ‘I can manage without a bed or mattress,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the investigating officer informed the court that a supplementary investigation report against Azhar was being prepared, seeking more time from the court.
ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill adjourned the hearing till Nov 24 and sent Azhar back to judicial custody till the next hearing.
Sarwar Road police had booked several PTI leaders and workers, including Azhar, on charges of attacking and vandalising the Jinnah House during the May 9 protests against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. Azhar was arrested in September this year after over three years of hiding.