ATC rejects Omar Ayub's interim bail pleas

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LAHORE:

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday dismissed interim bail petitions of senior PTI leader Omar Ayub in three separate cases pertaining to the May 9 rioting.

The cases involve alleged attacks on military installations — including Lahore's Jinnah House and Askari Tower — during countrywide rioting triggered by the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023.

ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul, while hearing the petitions, rejected the pleas on account of Omar's repeated absence from court proceedings. The judge also turned down his request for a one-day exemption from appearance.

Omar had earlier secured interim bail in the cases on the condition of regular attendance. However, on July 31, an ATC in Faisalabad handed down prison sentences of up to 10 years to multiple PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul and Sahibzada Hamid Raza, in other May 9-related cases.

Following their convictions, the National Assembly on Friday de-notified Omar as leader of the opposition. Zartaj Gul was also stripped of her position as PTI's parliamentary leader, while Ahmad Chattha was removed as deputy parliamentary leader.

Meanwhile, Zartaj Gul filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging her conviction by the ATC. The appeal — filed through her counsel Barrister Ali Zafar and Muhammad Hussain — will be taken up by a division bench on Monday.

The petition contends that Zartaj was neither nominated in the FIR nor found physically present at the scene, and that her inclusion via a supplementary statement was unjustified. This, it argues, raises serious doubts about the authenticity of the allegations, which were not considered at trial.

It further claims that the "impugned judgment" was passed "in a hasty and slipshod manner" on the basis of three prosecution witnesses, who admitted in cross-examination that they had not named her, yet she was convicted and handed a severe sentence.

In a related development, the ATC in Lahore is set to announce its verdict tomorrow (Aug 11) in two other May 9 cases relating to vandalism outside Rahat Bakery and Shadman police station. The court had reserved its decision earlier this week after concluding proceedings at Kot Lakhpat Jail.