Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court orders release of arrested lawmakers of Imran Khan’s party

Imran Khan. File
| Photo Credit: AP

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Monday (September 16, 2024) ordered the immediate release of all the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) lawmakers arrested from the Parliament House following the party’s power show on September 8 in Islamabad.

“Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain heard the bail pleas and granted post-arrest bail to the PTI MNAs who were taken into custody by the Islamabad police with their cases registered at the Sangjani police station,” Geo News reported. “The bails were granted against surety bonds worth ₹30,000 each,” it said.

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During the hearing, prosecutor Raja Naveed told the court that Sunni Ittehad Council lawmaker Muhammad Ahmed Chattha is also named in the case. He requested the court against approving bails as the minimum sentence for provisions imposed in the case is three years, the channel said.

“Has anything been recovered from Sher Afzal Marwat, Ahmed Chattha and other MNAs [Member of the National Assembly]?” the judge questioned the prosecutor. He responded to the question in the negative.

Meanwhile, the court also approved the pre-arrest bail petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Ali Bukhari in the case pertaining to his violation of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) and assault on police personnel during the party’s rally.

Following the hearing, the court issued a notice and adjourned the hearing of the case till October 1.

The police arrested several leaders of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, including its chairman and around a dozen lawmakers, after the authorities accused his supporters of pelting stones at police personnel and violating the permission for the rally by over-stepping the allotted time limit by several hours.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat were also arrested from the Parliament House for allegedly violating the newly enacted public gathering law during the party’s power show. Mr. Marwat had resisted the arrest and asked the police to show an arrest warrant.

While Mr. Gohar was later released, Mr. Marwat was kept in custody for violating regulations devised under a new law — Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024, and also accused of clashing with police personnel on the rally day.

At least 10 PTI lawmakers, who were arrested from the premises of Parliament House, were brought to the lower house on September 12 after their production orders were issued by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

During the rally, the PTI supporters demanded the release of their leader and warned to get him out of jail through street protests.

The 71-year-old former-cricketer-turned-politician faces a slew of legal cases and has been in prison for more than a year after being sentenced in a graft case.

Imran Khan was arrested on August 5 last year after his conviction in the first Toshakhana corruption case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Since then, he has been in jail in different cases.