Daily Times

An anti-terrorism court in Lahore granted bail on Saturday to anchorperson Imran Riaz in the Zaman Park attack case. Imran was arrested on charges of vandalism and assaulting police officials during a clash at PTI founder Imran Khan’s Lahore residence. A week earlier, the police had produced Imran before the court and sought his physical remand. The court sent Imran on judicial remand, rejecting his counsel’s plea for bail. Riaz’s counsel, Ali Mian Ashfaq, identified more than a dozen loopholes in the case during the proceedings, challenging the prosecution’s claims and highlighting inconsistencies. During the proceedings, Ashfaq questioned the sensitivity of the case, asking why the police were unaware of it for eight months if it was so significant. He pointed out the lack of evidence establishing Riaz’s connection to the charges and the absence of any role attributed to the accused in the FIR. The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) on February 23 arrested Imran on charges of acquiring the Tharabi Lake contract at a significantly reduced price. Later, the anchorperson was granted bail in a corruption case against a bond worth Rs0.1 million.