Hammad Azhar Tells Court of CCTV Cameras in Prison Cell
The Hammad Azhar CCTV prison cell complaint was raised in an anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Tuesday, when the PTI leader told the judge he was being kept under constant watch by two CCTV cameras in his cell, including one that covers the bathroom.
Azhar was produced before the court after his 14-day judicial remand in the Jinnah House attack case expired. He complained about the conditions in jail and said he had to bathe with his clothes on because of the cameras.
His counsel, Abuzar Salman Niazi, filed an application seeking B-class facilities for his client and the removal of the cameras from his cell. He argued that the cameras violated the prisoner’s right to privacy.
Hammad Azhar CCTV prison cell: the hearing
ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill adjourned the hearing till Nov 24 and sent Azhar back to judicial custody till the next hearing. The investigating officer had asked for the remand to be extended, saying a supplementary challan was being prepared and would be submitted shortly.
Azhar told the court he was being kept in the same cell in which former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had been detained decades ago before his hanging. He said there was no bed in the cell and he had to sleep on the floor.
“Therefore, these cameras be removed from my cell,” he requested, according to 24NewsHD.
Sarwar Road police had booked Azhar and several other PTI leaders and workers on charges of attacking and vandalising Jinnah House during the May 9 protests against the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. The case was registered as FIR No. 96/23.
Azhar was arrested in September this year after more than three years in hiding. He had been declared a proclaimed offender by anti-terrorism courts in cases linked to the May 9 riots. In September, a court granted police 21 days’ physical remand in the Jinnah House case.
A week of court action
Azhar’s complaint came in a week of fast-moving anti-terrorism court proceedings involving PTI figures. In Peshawar, an anti-terrorism court reissued arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in the Radio Pakistan attack case, as Feature Pakistan reported on the reissued warrants for Afridi.
The same week, at least ten policemen were killed in an ambush in Kohat, in an attack that underlined how tense the security situation in the province remains. Feature Pakistan reported on the Kohat ambush.
Azhar’s case will return to court on Nov 24, when the investigating officer is expected to present the supplementary challan. Until then, the question he raised about cameras in his cell, and the application for B-class facilities, will sit with the court. The party has been pressing its case in the streets as well as the courts, and its long march convoys entered Peshawar last month as part of that campaign.
The claims about the cameras, the bathroom, the bed and the cell are Azhar’s own account, made before the judge. The court has not yet ruled on the application.
Frequently asked questions
What did Hammad Azhar complain about?
He told the court that two CCTV cameras were installed in his prison cell, including one monitoring the bathroom, and that he had to bathe with his clothes on. He also said there was no bed in the cell.
What did his lawyer ask for?
His counsel, Abuzar Salman Niazi, filed an application seeking B-class facilities for Azhar and the removal of the cameras, arguing that they violated the prisoner’s right to privacy.
What did the court decide?
ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill extended Azhar’s judicial remand by 14 days and adjourned the hearing till Nov 24.
Which case is he facing?
The Jinnah House attack case, registered at Sarwar Road police station as FIR No. 96/23, linked to the May 9, 2023 protests.
When was he arrested?
He was arrested in September 2026 after more than three years in hiding, having been declared a proclaimed offender in cases linked to the May 9 riots.
