ISLAMABAD    -    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday granted pro­tective bail to former sec­retary general of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Asad Umar in a terrorism related case registered against him in Lahore. A division bench of IHC comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Tariq Mahmood Ja­hangiri conducted hearing of the petition filed by Asad Umar who also appeared be­fore the court along with his lawyers Amina Ali and Shahina Shahab. During the hearing, Umar’s coun­sel adopted the stance be­fore the bench that cases were registered in Lahore and he has to appear in the cases in Islamabad as well. Therefore, she requested the court to is­sue directions that no arrest can be made in this case from anywhere in the country. She also prayed to the court to grant protective bail to her client in the case registered on May 10 in Gulberg police station of Lahore. The coun­sels urged the court to grant the protective bail of at least two weeks. Umar approached the IHC seeking protective bail for two weeks in connec­tion with a terror case regis­tered in Lahore following the violent protests in the coun­try on May 9. Gulberg police had nominated PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Umar and oth­er top party leaders under charges of terrorism, mur­der and robbery. Later, the IHC bench granted him pro­tective bail till Thursday. Talking to media after hear­ing, Umar said that it does not matter whether someone leaves the party or not, vote belongs to Imran Khan. He also said that there should be rule of law in the country. He said that whoever has violated the law should not be spared. In response to a question if he would play an active role in the party, he replied that at the moment, he is only appearing before the courts. Separately, the PTI leader Shehryar Afri­di’s lawyer informed the IHC that his client is being kept in a death cell. During the hear­ing of a case against the arrest of the PTI leader, his lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat request­ed Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir to transfer Afridi to an A-class jail. Seeking details of the PTI leader’s medical re­cords, the court said that it will pass an appropriate order on the plea of Afridi’s broth­er and deferred the hearing of the case till June 2.