ISLAMABAD: Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas on Wednesday sent 29 students, arrested in connection with the recent operation to vacate hostel rooms at Quaid-iAzam University (QAU), to judicial custody.

The students were produced before the court amid tight security where a heated argument over the legitimacy of the charges took place.

Reading out the text of the FIR, students counsel Riasat Ali Azad argued that the case had been blown out of proportion. `Out of all the sections imposed, only one is nonbailable. There is no mention of weapons.

This FIR neither mentions theft nor names of any injured party,` he stated, further demanding the students be absolved of charges rather than mere denial of police remand.

District Bar President Naeem Gujjar also questioned the university`s legal standing.

`These students were admitted and allotted rooms. Even tenants are entitled to eviction notice. Many among them are future lawyers, judges, and politicians. This is not law enforcement, it`s harassment,` he said.

Strong remarks were also made by Advocate Hadi Ali Chatha, who compared the situation to martial law. `A retired colonel decides students` fate. Lawyers were denied access to meet their clients, and Baloch students are being labeled as illegal. This is the state`s true face,` he said.

Advocate Imaan Mazari alleged police misconduct, claiming the accused were taken back from outside the courtroom in defiance of legal norms. `The police even tried to run over lawyers with their vehicle, she told the court.

The prosecution requested a 10-day physical remand of the accused. However, after hearing all arguments, the court reserved its decision on that request.

During the hearing, students chanted slogans of `sham-sham` as university counsel Raja Zahoorul Hassan presented his arguments, prompting a stern warning from the judge. The university`s legal team maintained that the individuals arrested were not current students and accused them of being involved in illicit activities on campus.

`Drugs are being sold because of these outsiders,` Zahoor-ul-Hassan claimed. He added that the Islamabad High Court had already dismissed the students` petition.

The situation escalated outside the courtroom, where a group of lawyers reportedly surrounded the university`s legal team, including Raja Zahoorul Hassan, his son, and the varsity`s security chief Colonel (retd) Nadeem, and attempted to assault them.

The court ultimately ordered all the arrested students to be sent to judicial custody and directed authorities to present them again on August 13.