LAHORE: A sessions court on Friday granted interim pre-arrest bail to prime minister’s special assistant Attaullah Tarar in a case relating to violence in the Punjab Assembly on the day of election of chief minister on April 16.

Tarar appeared before the court along with his counsel and sought the bail. The court allowed the bail till Sept 14 subject to furnishing of surety bonds and also directed the petitioner to join the police investigation.

Speaking to the media persons outside court, Tarar lashed out at Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi for holding political rallies during the testing times of massive flooding in the province. He said the government should shun political rallies and reach out to the affectees of the floods.

Answering a query about rising prices of petrol, Tarar said finance minister Miftah Ismail was doing a good job and the government would soon give relief to the masses. He said former chief minister Hamza Shehbaz had returned to the country and the party would boost its political activities.

About the case against him, Tarar said he was not even present in the house but police at the behest of the government implicated him in the case.

Initially, the Qilla Gujjar Singh police had registered a case against the MPAs of PTI and PML-Q and staff of the assembly on charges of resorting to violence during the election of the chief minister, wherein Hamza Shehbaz emerged victorious against Parvez Elahi. The MPAs of the coalition government were also charged for manhandling then deputy speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari.

Several MPAs of the PTI and PML-Q besides staff of the assembly, including then secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti, had secured pre-arrest bail from the court in the case.

After the victory of Mr Elahi in a run-off election for the chief minister, police changed direction of investigation towards the MPAs of PML-N and started summoning them. Police also got warrants from a judicial magistrate concerned for the arrest of MPAs including Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Attaullah Tarar, Sardar Awais Leghari, Saiful Malook Khokhar, Pir Khizar Hayat Khagga and Raja Sagheer Ahmad.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2022