The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday approved PTI ally Sheikh Rashid’s post-arrest bail application in a case pertaining to claims he made on television that former president Asif Ali Zardari was involved in a fresh assassination plot against PTI chief Imran Khan.

The Islamabad police had arrested the former interior minister on Feb 2 after which the court had granted the police his two-day physical remand.

A similar case was filed against him in Murree on Feb 3.

Hearing the plea today, the IHC bench approved the bail application of the former minister against the submission of a surety bond of Rs50,000.

Earlier, Rashid’s post-arrest bail plea had been rejected twice by Islamabad’s sessions court which prompted the PTI ally to approach the IHC seeking his release.

The plea was heard by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.

At the outset of the hearing today, Rashid’s counsel Salman Akram Raja informed the court about a statement given by his client.

“There is nothing in the evidence that his statement led to any clash between the PTI and the PPP,” the lawyer argued.

Advocate General Islamabad Jahangir Khan Jadoon said Rashid was a seasoned politician and “his speech should be parliamentary”.

Those who are in government will be in opposition tomorrow, he added.

He claimed the AML chief hurled abuses at the foreign minister and the interior minister. However, the petitioner’s lawyer disputed the charge.

“This is not the case that Advocate General Salman Akram Raja is talking about,” Rashid’s counsel responded.

The investigation officer informed the court that no evidence was found regarding Zardari’s alleged plan as claimed by the ex-minister.

The advocate general told the court that it could look into the petitioner’s plea if he submitted an undertaking assuring he would not repeat the crime.

After hearing arguments, the court approved the bail plea of the former minister.

String of cases

Rashid was arrested on Feb 2 on a complaint filed by Raja Inayatur Rehman — the vice president of PPP Rawalpindi Division — wherein he said that the AML chief, in a television interview on Jan 27, alleged that Zardari got the assistance of some terrorists to plan former prime minister Imran Khan’s murder.

The first information report (FIR) was registered at Islamabad’s Aabpara Police Station under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Another case was also registered against him at the Murree police station for manhandling a police official at the time of the arrest. It was registered under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public function) and 506(ii) (criminal intimidation) of the PPC.

Moreover, it emerged the next day that yet another case was lodged against Rashid by Karachi’s Mochko police on the complaint of a local PPP leader for using “extremely filthy and immoral language” against PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while talking to the media outside Islamabad’s Polyclinic Hospital.

The FIR was registered under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 500 (punishment for defamation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the PPC.

Later, a fourth case was also registered against the AML leader in Balochistan’s Lasbela as per his lawyer’s arguments on Feb 4.