Policeman assault case: Former Senate chairman granted bail

Court directs the two to appear before it again on May 16

ISLAMABAD: A local court granted on Friday a 10-day interim bail to former Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari and his son Syed Jarar Hussain Bokhari for assaulting a policeman.

Islamabad police had booked both of them on Wednesday for assaulting a policeman who tried to stop and frisk the former Senate chairman at the entrance of Islamabad district courts.

The former Senate chairman, who is also a senior PPP leader as well as a member of the district bar, had hurled verbal abuse and pushed away the policeman who was trying to frisk him. “Not even your IG can stop and frisk me,” Nayyer Bokhari had said. As Bokhari swore at the official, his son Jarar Hussain Bokhari charged and slapped the policeman.

Following the incident, an FIR was lodged against Bokhari and an unknown person, who later was found to be his son, at the Margalla Police Station.

Police had booked both of them for assaulting and obstructing a public servant in discharge of his duty, and also for criminal intimidation, a non-bailable offence under the Pakistan Penal Code.

A day later, on Thursday, police obtained arrest warrants from a civil judge against Bokhari, but did not arrest him.

On Friday, Bokhari and his son appeared before Additional Sessions Judge (West) Raja Asif Mahmood and filed applications for interim bail. The court accepted the bail applications against surety bonds of Rs20,000 each.

The court has directed the suspects to appear before the court again on May 16.

Arrest was imminent?

Though the police did not make any attempts to arrest Bokhari on Thursday, it seemed the arrest was imminent on Friday as both the suspects avoided any contact with the police. A group of lawyers representing the two appeared before the additional sessions judge and sought protective bail for their clients.

The lawyers said that the suspects wanted to appear before the court for interim bail but the police were not allowing the petitioners to reach the court.

The court ordered SHO Margalla to allow the petitioners to appear before the court.

Bokhari cries foul

A large number of lawyers accompanied Bokhari when he appeared before the court on Friday. Bokhari was elected thrice as the president of the Islamabad district bar.

Addressing a group of lawyers and media persons, Bokhari said the case against him was an attempt by the government to divert people’s attention from the fallout of Panama Papers. He said he was being victimised.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2016.