LAHORE: In the May 9 cases, an anti-terrorism court on Thursday extended the pre-arrest bail of Imran Khan, the founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, and Asad Umar, the former secretary general.
Khan’s bail requests in the charges involving the attacks on the Jinnah House, the Shadman police station, and the Askari Tower in Gulberg were heard by Judge Naveed Iqbal. On March 15, he gave the PTI founder’s attorney instructions to present his case.
A different anti-terrorism court last week upheld Khan’s pre-arrest bail in four cases, including Zille Shah’s murder, the attack on the police outside Zaman Park, and the May 9 torching of the PML-N buildings in Model Town and a container at Kalma Chowk.
In a related development, Judge Naveed Iqbal extended Asad Umar’s pre-arrest release in the Shadman police station attack case until March 16.
Mr. Umar did not show up in court, and his attorney submitted a request for a temporary stay of prosecution.
The judge granted the application and increased the former PTI leader’s bail.
Trial proceedings in instances involving the burning of police vehicles against Dr. Yasmin Rashid, the president of PTI Punjab, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, former governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema, former minister Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, and other suspects were postponed by the judge.
In all cases, the judge is expected to indict the suspects on March 20.
BAIL
In the Jinnah House attack case, an anti-terrorism court on Thursday granted post-arrest bail to thirty-three further PTI activists.
All suspects’ bail petitions were granted by Judge Naveed Iqbal, provided that they provided surety bonds totaling Rs100,000.
Naveed Hussain, Zain Imran, Mazhar Iqbal, Azhar Hussain, Fakhar Kamran, Usama Abid, Zulqernain, and Imran Khan Niazi are among the accused, along with Farhan Bokhari, Muhammad Zahid, Mehran Khan, and Waqas Aslam.
On March 8, the judge will consider the bail requests of numerous other suspects.
ABSCONDERS
Six PTI leaders who have been missing since May 9—among them Hammad Azhar and Aslam Iqbal—were deemed criminals by an anti-terrorism court on Thursday.
Adnan Ashraf, Samar Mashooq, Malik Haider Ali, and Muhammad Qasim are further suspects that have escaped.
Due to their failure to participate in the legal proceedings against them, Sarwar Road police filed an application asking the court to declare the absconding suspects POs in the case.
The application designating the suspects as POs in the case was approved by Judge Naveed Iqbal. He gave the police orders to start more investigations into the suspects.
In a few other May 9 riot instances, Azhar and Iqbal had previously been designated POs.
