PTM leader Ali Wazir granted bail, LHC declares MPO illegal

The Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench has granted bail to Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Ali Wazir, ruling that his detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Act was unlawful.

Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz presided over the hearing, ordering Ali Wazir’s release on surety bonds worth Rs 5 lakh, Express News reported.

Ali Wazir had filed a petition challenging his detention under the MPO-3. The court, after reviewing the case, declared the MPO detention illegal and approved his bail.

Ali Wazir was arrested in August after being charged under terrorism provisions at Kohsar Police Station. His bail plea was previously rejected by the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad.

The Lahore High Court’s decision comes as a relief for the PTM leader, who had been detained under controversial charges.

Previously, PTM leader and former MNA Ali Wazir was arrested following a road accident involving two motorbikes. He was later presented before an antiterrorism court (ATC), where the judge handed him over to the police for a six-day physical remand.

According to sources, the incident occurred when two motorbikes collided, with one crashing into Ali Wazir’s vehicle. Wazir reportedly took the injured motorcyclist to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where the police arrived shortly after. Ali Wazir claimed that the motorcyclist had only sustained minor injuries.

When the police attempted to arrest Ali Wazir, he questioned the reason for his detention. Journalist Allah Noor Wazir, who was present at the scene, started recording the event, which led the police to try, unsuccessfully, to confiscate his phone.

Ali Wazir was later presented before Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra of the ATC. Prosecutor Raja Naveed requested Wazir’s physical remand, alleging that the PTM leader had manhandled police officers, snatched a gun, and disrupted public order.

Ali Wazir denied all accusations, explaining that he only assisted the injured motorcyclist by transporting him to the hospital.

Police detained Ali Wazir under MPO 3, which allows authorities to detain individuals suspected of threatening public order. The Islamabad police accused him of "disrupting law and order" by manhandling officers and snatching a weapon, which led to his arrest under terrorism charges.