An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad handed accused Saad Abbasi over to police on a further seven-day physical remand in the murder case of Pakistan Air Force Group Captain Asim Tariq, after the accused broke down in the courtroom during the hearing.

Background

Group Captain Asim Tariq was shot dead on July 5, 2026, on 9th Avenue in Islamabad's F-8 sector after he intervened to stop a young man from harassing a woman on the roadside. According to the police account, the officer identified himself as a serving PAF officer and told the suspect to stop, after which the suspect opened fire, fatally wounding him. The main suspect, Saad Abbasi, was arrested within hours through a multi-agency manhunt that relied on Safe City CCTV footage, and an FIR was registered against him at Margalla Police Station under murder and anti-terrorism charges.

Monday's Hearing

The hearing was presided over by ATC Judge Abu al-Hasanat Zulqarnain. The investigation team and police produced the accused before the court under tight security.

Prosecutor Naveed Kayani briefed the court on the progress of the investigation, stating that the formal identification process of the accused had been completed. Under a legal procedure carried out at Adiala Jail, eyewitnesses Kamran and Waseem formally identified Saad Abbasi. Police requested a 20-day physical remand of the accused to carry out further investigation and recover the murder weapon and other evidence.

During the proceedings, the accused broke down and began crying while standing in the dock. Judge Zulqarnain responded with sharp remarks, expressing strong displeasure. "What good is crying now?" the judge said. "You have caused this country enormous harm and destroyed an entire innocent family. You have no idea how valuable a national asset you destroyed through this crime of yours. Will your crying bring back that national asset and that human being?"

After hearing arguments from both sides and citing the sensitive nature of the case, the court ruled on police's request for a 20-day remand by granting a seven-day physical remand of Saad Abbasi, and directed police to complete the investigation as soon as possible and submit a report.