In court: Bail granted to alleged RAW agent

KARACHI:

A district and sessions court has granted bail to a suspect arrested over charges of working for Indian spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (Raw).

South district and sessions judge Ahmed Saba granted bail in sum of Rs50,000 to Muhammad Iqbal and ordered his release from jail if his custody was not required in any other case. The prosecution alleged that Iqbal, an Indian national, had come to Karachi in 1990, with the Sindh home department granting him permission to live in Pakistan till 1995. They said that he later slipped away.

His lawyer argued, however, that he had arrived in Pakistan for the purpose of marriage, stayed legally till 1995 and later applied for Pakistani citizenship, which was subsequently given to him. He added that the authorities issued a CNIC and passport to the applicant.

The lawyer contended that Iqbal was not a RAW agent, adding that the officials were harassing those living legally in the country in the wake of the Safoora bus attack and violating the rights of citizens guaranteed in the Constitution. He pleaded the court to grant bail to his client, claiming he had a daughter and will not abscond.

Approving the bail, the judge ordered the authorities to get Iqbal’s passport verified and submit a report.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2015.