Televised threats: Hamdullah’s pre-arrest bail plea likely to be decided on July 20

Court directs Marvi Sirmed’s counsel to argue in next hearing

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Hafiz Hamdullah’s application for pre-arrest bail in an intimidation and assault case is likely to be decided on July 20.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Asif Mehmood took up the senator’s bail plea on Friday but had to adjourn it after the complainant’s counsel, Asif Mumtaz Malik, sought more time to study the case.

Police booked the JUI-F senator on June 14 for allegedly threatening and trying to assault rights activist Marvi Sirmed during the taping of a TV talk show on June 10. Most of the conduct in question was aired later in the day.

Heated arguments followed between Sirmed and Hamdullah after he cut her off when she started to speak about the recent spate of honour killings in the country and their possible links to anti-women statements by politicians from religious parties including some with whom Hamdullah is closely linked.

The television channel censored some of Hamdullah’s foul language and showed the senator raise a hand before cutting to him being asked to leave the studio.

Sirmed filed a complaint with the Kohsar police the next day.

In the application, Sirmed said Hamdullah had threatened to “rape and kill” her, and requested that the police charge him for his actions.

Four days later, the police registered a criminal case against the senator for criminal intimidation and use of criminal force against a woman.

However, before the police could obtain the Senate chairman’s approval and arrest Hamdullah, he obtained interim bail from the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Asif Mehmood against a surety of Rs30,000 June 16.

On Friday, Senator Hamdullah appeared before the court, but Sirmed’s counsel said his client was out of the country and could not attend court proceedings.

He requested the court to adjourn the case for over a month, but the judge said that the suspect’s bail application could not be left pending for that long. The court ordered Malik to argue in the case on behalf of his client in the next hearing, scheduled for July 20.

Meanwhile, a senior Kohsar police official told The Express Tribune that Sirmed had not provided them with any evidence to corroborate her claims, nor had she accompanied the police to the TV channel’s office for examination and identification of the crime scene.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2016.