Over 25 alleged rioters granted bail

ATC directs police to release members of proscribed party after payment of Rs30k surety each

KARACHI:

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) accepted the bail pleas on Friday of over 25 accused of rioting and violence in Karachi after Tehreek-eLabbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Rizvi was detained earlier this month. Over 25 TLP workers appeared before the ATC at Karachi Central Jail. The court accepted their pleas and granted bail to all of the accused against the surety of Rs30,000 each.

The ATC directed the police to release the accused workers of the recently proscribed TLP after the submission of the surety amount. Workers of the far-right party took to the streets engaging in riots and violent protests in different cities of the country, including Karachi, after the detention of Rizvi on April 12. At least five policemen were martyred in the riots and several others were injured. The situation was deflated by April 20 after a round of negotiations between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf federal government and the, by then banned, TLP.

Four acquitted

Meanwhile, another ATC acquitted four persons in a case pertaining to the possession of ammunition and explosives for want of evidence against them. Announcing the verdict, the court stated that the prosecution had failed to prove its allegations against the accused, Umar, Bilal, Amir and Waseem, and directed that they be released if they are not nominated in any other case. According to the Special Investigation Unit Police, the accused are associated with the banned militant outfit, Al Qaeda, and explosives, detonators and remote controls were found in their possession.