LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday announced verdict on post-arrest bail petitions filed by 97 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers, including fashion designer Khadija Shah, Aalia Hamza, Sanam Javed, in May-9 violence cases, including attack on Jinnah House (the corps commander residence in Lahore). The court, through a short order, remanded the bail petitions to the trial court, adding that the reasons would be recorded in detailed judgement.
The court observed that since new offences had been added in the cases, therefore, the accused should approach the trial court for bail after investigations in connection with new offences. The division bench, headed by Justice Aalia Neelum, heard the post-arrest bail petitions of the PTI workers.
Earlier, Special Prosecutor Farhad Ali Shah opposed the bail petitions of the PTI workers before the bench. He submitted that new offences had been added in the cases and investigations were in progress from the accused, adding that some of the accused were on remand. He submitted that the petitioners should again approach the trial court in this situation after completion of investigations from them.
The PTI workers had approached the court for bail, submitting that they were on judicial remand and their custody was not required for investigations any longer. They pleaded with the court to grant the benefit of bail to them.
It is pertinent to mention here that the police added new offences in all the May 9 cases under sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage a war or abetting in waging of war against Pakistan), 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty) and 146 (rioting).
