Additional District and Sessions Judge Peshawar, Ismatullah Wazir, on Saturday extended the interim bail of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Secretary General Humayun Khan and PPP Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa President Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha till June 23 in a case related to a protest on Khyber Road and the alleged burning of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest camp.
During the hearing, the petitioners' counsels, Gohar Rehman Khattak and Lajbar Khan Advocates, appeared before the court. They informed the judge that their clients are affiliated with a political party and were named in the FIR for participating in a peaceful protest against the provincial government.
The lawyers argued that peaceful protest is a fundamental right of every citizen. However, instead of allowing the demonstration, the police resorted to baton charging and tear gas shelling. Later, cases were registered against their clients, despite no violent actions on their part. The court extended the interim bail of both PPP leaders until June 23.
Speaking to the media after the hearing, Humayun Khan said that the PPP has always represented the people. "PTI regularly storms Islamabad and damages public property, yet when cases are registered against them, they claim it's their democratic right to protest," he said. "When PPP holds a peaceful protest, the PTI-led government tries to suppress it."
He added that after the elections, PPP offered PTI the opportunity to form the government and supported the PML-N for the sake of democratic continuity. "PPP is not part of the federal cabinet, and we will not support any taxation measures in the budget that go against public interest.
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