LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday denied police physical remand of 129 PTI leaders and workers, including the party’s Lahore General Secretary Ahsan Younas, and sent them to jail on judicial remand in four cases related to protests held on Oct 5.

The investigating officers of four police stations presented the arrested persons before the court and sought their physical remand.

The defence lawyers opposed the remand and asked the court to discharge the activists, rejecting the charges leveled in the first information reports (FIRs).

Judge Irfan Haider rejected the police request and sent the PTI activists to jail on judicial remand.

Other arrested activists include Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, Hafiz Sarfraz, Malik Baqar and Malik Ali Hasnain.

Separately, a judicial magistrate at district courts discharged 17 other PTI activists, including Musarrat Jamshed Cheema and Rai Muhammad Ali, in a case of defying Section 144 in the city and attacking police.

In his order, the magistrate noted that the IO had failed to collect any evidence in the shape of CCTV footage since cameras of the safe city authority were installed in Lahore. He said the IO report showed that no private witness had been associated by police during recovery proceedings.

“Hence, it is termed that allegations are baseless,” the magistrate declared and discharged the suspects from the case.

BAIL: An anti-terrorism court granted interim pre-arrest bail to PTI Secretary General Advocate Salman Akram Raja till Oct 16 in three cases regarding the party’s Oct 5 protests and attacks on police.

Mr Raja appeared before the court along with Insaf Lawyers’ Forum-Pakistan President Ishtiaq A Khan.

Judge Arshad Javed allowed the bail, subject to surety bonds of Rs200,000.

The bail was granted in the cases registered with the police stations of Islampura, Lorry Adda and Masti Gate.

The Lahore High Court also granted a protective bail to Mr Raja till Oct 15 in a terrorism case registered in Islamabad.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi heard a petition filed by the PTI leader.

The bench allowed the protective bail and directed the lawyer to approach the court concerned for further relief by Oct 15.

A case was registered with the Secretariat Police Station in Islamabad against the PTI leaders and workers for protests and attacks on the personnel.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2024