PHC bars police from arresting PTI's Asad Qaiser

Asad Qaiser receives protective bail as court seeks clarity on cases filed after November 2024.

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The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has granted protective bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser and barred police from arresting him in cases filed after November 24, 2024.

A two-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ejaz Anwar, heard Qaiser’s petition seeking details of cases registered against him.

His counsel argued that the court had previously granted protective bail, but the order was not issued in writing.

The court was requested to ensure a written order this time.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Ibrahim inquired about the nature of the cases against Qaiser.

Deputy Attorney General informed the court that no cases had been filed against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Qaiser’s lawyer also requested a report from Islamabad police to determine whether any cases had been registered there.

The court directed Islamabad police to submit a report within 15 days and clarified that it would seek a response from the city’s Inspector General, not the Commissioner.

Last month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) informed the federal capital police that 17 cases have been registered against Asad Qaiser.

However, a hearing on Qaiser’s petition seeking details of these cases could not proceed as Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz, the single bench of the IHC, left the case due to time constraints.

Qaiser, represented by his lawyer Ayesha Khalid, filed the petition naming the Secretary of Interior, Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Inspector Generals of Islamabad and the four provinces, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General as respondents.

In his plea, Qaiser argued that several politically motivated and unlawful First Information Reports (FIRs) have been lodged against him.