Daily Times

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 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 Rs 100,000 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 and argued that the police registered the case with malafide intention, whereas, his clients were not involved in the 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. At 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 had got 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.