Justice delayed: Man gets post-arrest bail after 22 years

RAWALPINDI: A magistrate court here on Tuesday granted bail to a man in a robbery case that was registered against him on January 17, 1994 by RA Bazaar Police.

Magistrate Waqar Mansoor Baryar granted bail to Ashiq Masih saying the accused had already been in the jail for too long a period.

The magistrate observed that maximum sentence for a robbery case was 14 years.

The court directed Masih to furnish surety bond worth Rs100, 000 for his release.

Ashiq Masih 50, has been in Adiala Jail since September 12, 1996 as seven cases including a murder case were registered against him in different police stations of Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Narowal.

Masih’s trial in the robbery case was supposed to start in August 2015 after he was forgiven by his opponents in the murder case one day before his schedule execution in Adiala Jail.



The jail authorities informed the district and sessions judge Rawalpindi that Masih could not be released as a robbery case was also pending against him.

The trial could not be started as the official record of the case had gone missing.

Following the court’s direction, RA Bazaar police had to submit supplementary investigation report against Masih in the robbery case.

According to available details, Masih, native of Narowal District, was convicted in the case of murder of his fiancé on August 3, 2002.

The murder case was registered against him on January 31, 1995.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2016.