Televised threats : Hamdullah’s interim bail extended till July 15

Court summons Marvi Sirmed at next hearing.

ISLAMABAD: A sessions court on Thursday extended bail plea of Senator Hafiz Hamdullah till July 15 and also summoned Marvi Sirmed, a complainant in the case, at the next hearing.

The Kohsar police booked the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-Fazl) senator on June 14 on a complaint filed by rights activist Marvi Sirmed, who said that he allegedly threatened and tried to assault her during a television talk show.

During the talk show, heated arguments followed between Sirmed and Hamdullah after he cut her as soon as she started speaking on honour killings and women’s rights.

The television channel, however, censored some of the remarks uttered by the senator in the recorded programme.

In the application, Sirmed said Hamdullah had threatened to rape and kill her, and requested the police to book him.

Four days later, the police registered a criminal case against the senator. However, before the police could obtain senate chairperson’s approval to arrest Hamdullah, he obtained one-week interim-bail from the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Asif Mehmood against a surety of Rs30,000 on June 16.

The court took up Hamdullah’s bail plea on Thursday but had to adjourn the case after the complainant failed to appear before the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2016.