Move on Pakistan chief granted bail

Two labourers hired by the party to put up banners also get bail

ISLAMABAD: A sessions court on Tuesday granted bail to Move on Pakistan (MoP) party chairperson Mohammad Kamran who was arrested for displaying the controversial banners in various cities of Pakistan.

Two labourers, Arshad Salamat and Faheem, who were hired by the party to put up banners in parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, were also granted bail by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Atta Rabbani.

The banners that sprang up overnight in major cities of the country a few weeks ago had pictures of COAS Gen Raheel Sharif with the caption “Jaane ki baatein hueen purani, Khuda ke liye ab ajao”, which was seen by many as an invitation for the army to impose martial law.

Secretariat police had registered a case against unidentified persons for displaying the banners in Islamabad on July 14 and arrested Salamat and Faheem the next day.

Salamat was a driver, while Faheem was an outdoor advertiser.

They told the police that they were not literate and hence had no knowledge of what the banners were about.

Meanwhile, Kamran and two other MoP officials — Ali Raza and Asif Iqbal — obtained a protective bail from the Islamabad High Court.

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