LAHORE - A sessions court on Tuesday granted pre-arrest interim bail to 14 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders till July 20 in another case of violence and damaging public property during the party’s recent long march.
The court directed the PTI leaders Hammad Azhar, Yasir Gillani, Yasmeen Rashid, Zubair Khan Niazi, Andaleeb Abbas, Jamshaid Iqbal Cheema, Mussarat Cheema, Imtiaz Sheikh, Ijaz Chaudhry, Nadeem Abbas, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, Mian Akram Usman and Shafqat Mehmood to submit surety bonds of Rs100,000 each to avail the relief of interim bail.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Ahmad Husnain Khan heard the bail applications of the PTI leaders. Advocate Burhan Moazzam represented the leaders before the court, arguing that the police registered the case with malafide intention as his clients were not involved in this matter. He submitted that the court had already granted bail to his clients in identical cases while pleading for the relief of bail in the current case. On this, the court granted pre-arrest interim bail to the PTI leaders till July 20 and directed them to join the investigations.
The Shafiqabad police had registered a case against the PTI leaders on the charges of violence and damaging public property during the party’s recent long March.
Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) extended interim bail of 18 PTI leaders till July 19 and directed them to join the investigations.
ATC Judge Abhar Gul Khan heard the matter, wherein PTI leaders including Yasmeen Rashid, Hammad Azhar, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, Jamshaid Iqbal Cheema and others appeared. The PTI leaders secured the pre-arrest interim bail in cases registered by Shahdara, Shafiqabad, Gulberg and Bhaati gate police stations on charges of violence and damaging public property on May 25, during the party’s recent long march.
Meanwhile, Awami Muslim League Pakistan leader Sheikh Rashid on Tuesday said that if transparent polls will not be ensured then youth will not leave the polling stations.
Talking to media in Lahore, the former interior minister said that he will be holding rallies in all the four constituencies of Lahore after Eidul Azha for the Punjab by-polls.
He added that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan will be holding a peaceful rally on July 2nd and he will be joining Imran from his residence, Lal Haveli. He added that if the current government wants to arrest him then they should go ahead. Rashid claimed that conference of developing countries did not invite Pakistan after Imran Khan was ousted as prime minister by a conspiracy. “Both the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have now started saying this openly that they were dodged,” he added.
He rejected the by-polls in Sindh. “People who have been awarded ticket by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) must be banned for life. These elections are non-constitutional and against the law.”
The former minister went on to say that the life of a common man has become miserable after the increased inflation and petrol price hike. He also lamented that people would be dumbfounded next time after receiving their electricity bills.