British-Pakistani accused denied bail

Judge Abul Hasanat Muhammad Zulqarnain of the Anti-Terrorism Court, Islamabad, on Monday dismissed the post-arrest bail application of Aqib Khan, a British-born Pakistani accused of attempting to murder a traffic police official and spreading fear and panic at the I-8 Markaz.

During the hearing, defence counsel contended that the accused is a British national and was not fully conversant with Pakistani laws. The defence argued that the matter does not fall within the ambit of terrorism and that the police had registered a false and factually incorrect FIR.

Prosecutor Raja Naveed submitted to the court that foreign nationals are under an obligation to observe Pakistani laws with even greater diligence. He stated that a weapon was recovered from the accused, which clearly demonstrated his intention to kill the traffic police official.

The prosecutor further informed the court that the accused created fear and panic in a commercial area, for which video evidence is available.

The prosecution maintained that, in light of established judicial precedents, the act of spreading fear and terror in public places constitutes terrorism; therefore, the accused does not merit the concession of bail.