ATC grants interim bail to Nehal Hashmi

Senator contends he was implicated in the case with mala fide intentions

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday granted interim bail to Senator Nehal Hashmi in a case regarding his May 28 speech in which he threatened the judiciary and members of the Joint Investigation Team that was probing the ruling family’s offshore assets.

Hashmi moved an application for anticipatory bail in ATC-I, contending that he was implicated in the case with mala fide intentions.

The ATC-I has been tasked to dispose of the case by the administrative judge of ATC Karachi after police filed a charge-sheet against the former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader.

During the proceedings, the ATC-I judge allowed an interim bail-



before-arrest to Hashmi till July 21 against Rs200,000 worth of surety bonds. The judge also issued a notice to the prosecution to file its comments on the next hearing.

The case has been registered under section 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 228 (intentional insult or interruption to public servant sitting in judicial proceeding) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 read with sections 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1999 at the Bahadurabad police station on the complaint of the state.