LHC overturns conviction of 19 TLP activists

The Lahore High Court's (LHC) division bench suspended the punishment of 19 convicted workers of Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) and released them on post-arrest bails involved in creating chaos and panic on roads on April 13, 2021.

The petitioner's counsel had implored the bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, that the police implicated them in forged cases merely to humiliate and suppress their voice.

He pleaded that nothing had been recovered from the convicts when they were in the custody of the police officials, adding that the allegations against the petitioners are not specific.He said that the judgement passed by the trial court is incorrect and needs to be set aside arguing that the convicts had filed an appeal against the verdict which is pending.

He requested the court to allow the post-arrest bails of the convicts till the final decision of the appeal. However, the prosecution strongly opposed the bails.

The bench, after hearing detailed arguments, allowed post-arrest bails, suspended the punishment and ordered to release them from the prison.

Naib Ameer TLP Peer Syed Zaheerul Hassan Bukhari while expressing his full trust in the judiciary said the TLP’s workers had been implicated in the forged case.

“Today, with the mercy of God, the LHC suspended their punishment and ordered to release them on post-arrest bails.”

On a query about his viewpoint upon the people's opinion that the TLP came on the streets for the expulsion of the French ambassador over his president’s ‘critique of Islam’ but it did not take to the roads over India's ruling party leaders’ blasphemous remarks, he replied: “The TLP workers came out across the country but media did not give them the coverage.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2022.