PTI lawmakers get bail in rally case

ATC orders release of 10 MPs arrested for NOC violation, police attack charges

ISLAMABAD:

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad on Monday approved the post-arrest bail applications of 10 PTI lawmakers in cases related to alleged violations of a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the party's September 8 rally and attacks on police officers.

ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain heard the bail applications filed by MNAs Sher Afzal Marwat, Sheikh Waqas, Zain Qureshi, Ahmed Chattha, Amir Dogar, Yousuf Khan, Naeem Ali Shah, Owais Haider Jhakhar, Shah Ahad, and Zubair Khan.

Defense lawyers appeared on behalf of the lawmakers, while the case record could not be presented in court. Prosecutor Raja Naveed informed the court that the investigating officer was busy with a case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and was sending the case record.

Judge Zulqarnain expressed displeasure at the absence of the investigating officer, stating that he would wait for 10 minutes and proceed with the arguments if the officer did not appear. The court then took a brief recess until the record arrived.

When the hearing resumed, the defense lawyers presented their arguments. The prosecutor stated that MNA Ahmed Chattha was named in the case and that the charges carried a minimum sentence of three years; therefore, bail should not be granted.

The court inquired whether anything had been recovered from the MNAs, to which the prosecutor responded that nothing had been recovered.

After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court approved post-arrest bail for all PTI MNAs in the cases, ordering their immediate release on bail bonds of Rs30,000 each.

The court also granted interim bail to PTI leader Ali Bukhari, who had filed a pre-arrest bail application in a case registered at Sangjani police station. The interim bail was granted until October 1, with bail bonds set at Rs30,000.

The cases were filed under terrorism charges at police stations in Sangjani, Tarnol, Noon, and Sumbal areas of Islamabad. After a long hiatus, Imran Khan's beleaguered party managed to hold a massive rally in Islamabad on September 8, despite clashes with the capital's police that left dozens of policemen and PTI workers injured.

Authorities had granted permission for the rally but turned Islamabad into a virtual fortress, blocking roads with shipping containers and deploying over 6,000 police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel to manage the routes.

A day after the rally, authorities launched a fresh crackdown on the former ruling party. Police and plainclothes officers also raided the Parliament Lodges, rounding up lawmakers in what was later condemned by all political parties as an affront to parliament.