An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Tuesday rejected a police request for further physical remand of PTI leader Hammad Azhar in the Jinnah House attack case and sent him to jail on judicial remand. The Hammad Azhar judicial remand ends a run of police custody that his lawyer put at 50 days.
Sarwar Road police had booked several PTI leaders and workers on charges of attacking and vandalising Jinnah House during the May 9, 2023 protests against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. Azhar is among those facing trial in the case.
His family says Azhar was arrested on September 5; police said the next day they were unaware of his arrest, and he was produced before an ATC on September 7. His initial 21-day physical remand was extended at least twice.
After the latest 12-day remand ended, he was presented before ATC Judge Sardar Muhammad Akram Khan on Tuesday. The investigating officer sought further physical remand for a polygraph test, also known as a lie detector test.
Hammad Azhar judicial remand: the polygraph argument
Azhar’s counsel, Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi, argued that a polygraph test required the suspect’s consent. He argued that according to a Lahore High Court judgment, the procedure was to be conducted during judicial remand.
The lawyer said the suspect was also required to make a statement before a magistrate indicating whether he wished to undergo the test. Azhar told the court that he did not want to undergo the test if the law allowed him to refuse it.
He said a suspect should not be punished for the prosecution’s alleged lack of knowledge about the legal requirements. After hearing arguments from the prosecution and the defence over the proposed polygraph test, Judge Akram dismissed the police request for further physical remand and sent Azhar to jail under judicial custody.
Barrister Niazi hailed the verdict, writing on X that his client’s “50-day physical remand finally ends” and that he was sent to Kot Lakhpat jail.
Physical remand and judicial remand: what changes now
The shift from physical to judicial remand changes who holds the accused and for what purpose. In physical remand, police keep custody to complete investigation. In judicial remand, the accused goes to jail, and further steps that need the accused, such as a polygraph test, follow court directions and the suspect’s legal rights.
That distinction sits at the heart of Tuesday’s order. The court did not rule on the merits of the Jinnah House case. It ruled that police had not made a case for keeping Azhar in their custody any longer, and that any polygraph test must follow the procedure the defence cited.
The timeline also shows why the defence pressed the point. From production before the ATC on September 7, through an initial 21-day remand, at least two extensions, and a final 12-day stretch, police held Azhar for around seven weeks. The defence figure of 50 days matches that run of custody.
Azhar’s path since May 2023
Azhar served as a federal minister for finance, industries and energy during the PTI government. After the May 2023 crackdown on the party leadership, he went into hiding and reappeared in public on May 22, 2024.
In 2025, he reiterated his decision to step down as the PTI’s Punjab chapter president, citing a lack of access to Imran Khan.
Feature Pakistan has followed related court developments for PTI figures, including PHC Grants Bail to PTI Activists, Asad Qaiser Gets Interim Bail in Sangjani Case and PTI Parliamentary Party Discusses Talks and Protest Decision.
What happens next
The next steps will be set by the trial court. If the prosecution still seeks a polygraph test, it must follow the route the defence described: a statement by the suspect before a magistrate, during judicial remand, on whether he consents. The Jinnah House trial itself continues separately.
Source: Dawn, “Lahore ATC denies police further remand of PTI’s Hammad Azhar, sends him on judicial remand”, 27 October 2026, https://www.dawn.com/news/2040211/lahore-atc-denies-police-further-remand-of-ptis-hammad-azhar-sends-him-on-judicial-remand
Frequently asked questions
What did the Lahore ATC decide about Hammad Azhar?
The court rejected further physical remand and sent Hammad Azhar to jail on judicial remand in the Jinnah House case.
