LAHORE - An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday dismissed post-arrest bail petitions of 35 accused, including former governor Punjab Omar Sarfraz Cheema, in the Jinnah House attack case, after terming them ineffective. The court dismissed the bail petitions due to a second time physical remand of the accused after addition of new offences in the case.
ATC Judge Abher Gul Khan conducted the proceedings on the post-arrest bail petitions filed by the accused. During the proceedings, the prosecution opposed the bail petitions and submitted that investigations were underway from the accused for a second time after addition of new offences in the case. The accused have been remanded into police custody for investigations on physical remand, it submitted.
At this, the court agreed with the prosecution and dismissed the bail petitions after terming them ineffective. Besides former governor, Farzana Sarwar, Samia Asad, Rubina Rizwan, Afshan Tariq, Muhammad Ali, Zahoor Ahmad, Bilal Ahmad, Hafiz Nauman, Muhammad Zeeshan Siddiqui, Qadir Khan, Shahbaz Siddiqui, Azeem, Maqbool Hussain, Qasim Ali, Tauqeer Abbas, Muhammad Owais, Abdul Hafeez, Abdul Ghafoor, Waseem Gul, Maqbool Ahmad, Syed Tahir Rizvi, Amir Farooq, Faisal Akhtar, Ali Hassan, Nadeem Asghar, Mobeen Qadri, Asif Masih, Ishfaq, Ateeq, Wajid Ali, Muhammad Qasim, Mumtaz and others had approached the court for post-arrest bail. Sarwar Road police had registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders and workers for attacking the Jinnah House, which also serves as the residence of Lahore’s corps commander, during the May 9 riots. 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).
