ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi was sent to central jail Adiyala on a 14-day judicial remand on Wednesday, sources in the district court Islamabad told Dawn.

The sources said that civil judge Islamabad Aslam Gondal, while issuing the 14-day judicial remand, directed the investigation officer, sub-inspector Bashir Ahmed, to produce Mr Hashmi again before the court on Nov 24 for hearing.

The judge accepted Mr Hashmi’s plea regarding his medical examination, and issued orders for his treatment.

A source, who was present in the court room, said Mr Hashmi was produced before the civil judge at about 8am amid tight security. His 14-day physical remand was to expire on Nov 13.

The court ordered Islamabad police to send Mr Hashmi to central jail Adiyala.

The ARD leader lodged a protest with the judge, saying that he was subjected to severe torture and despite his repeated requests he was not allowed access to medical examination.

Mr Hashmi said he had already requested the police to allow him to meet his counsel but the police did not pay any heed to it.

He informed the court that he had been subjected to severe mental and physical torture during the custody of what he called the ‘armed persons’ who he said kept him under round-the-clock watch.

He said he was kept blind-folded with a strip cloth and he was made to sit with a switched-on high-powered electric bulb hanging over his head.

The PML-N leader said he had received multiple injuries as he was forcefully shoved around the four walls of the room where he was kept for interrogation.

Mr Hashmi requested the judge to grant him permission for medical treatment and allow him to meet his family members and his counsel.

He said during the physical remand he was interrogated by personnel of various law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The legal adviser of Islamabad police told the judge that the copies of FIR and physical remand orders had been handed over to a counsel of Mr Hashmi.

However, Mr Hashmi rejected the claim of the legal adviser that the police had informed him about the identity of his defence counsel.

He told the judge that the police had not given him or his counsel the copies of the FIR and physical remand order.

The source said while leaving the court room, the ARD leader shouted slogans like “Down with dictatorship” and “Long live democracy”

Talking to Dawn the head of the PML-N lawyers panel, Syed Zafar Ali Shah said Mr Hashmi was produced before the court a day before the conclusion of his 14-day physical remand. “This shows that the police has completed the investigation,” he added.

He said Mr Hashmi was produced before civil judge Aslam Gondal instead of the relevant Allaqa magistrate.

Mr Shah said the hearing on habeas corpus plea filed on behalf of Mr Hashmi with Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench will be held on Thursday. “During the hearing we would request the court for the bail of Mr Hashmi,” he said.