ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) of Islamabad on Monday granted bail to 10 PTI lawmakers arrested last week under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the newly imposed Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024.

At least 11 PTI lawmakers were arrested last week from different areas of Islamabad, following the party’s long-waited power show rally in Sangjani, according to a Dawn.com report.

The party rallied on the outskirts of Islamabad, demanding the “immediate release” of their founder Imran Khan while criticising the government for marginalising the party as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The MNAs arrested on different charges following the PTI public gathering at Sangjani were Sher Afzal Khan, Malik Mohammad Aamir Dogar, Mohammad Ahmed Chattha, Makhdoon Zain Hussain Qureshi, Waqqas Akram, Zubair Khan Wazir, Awais Haider Jakhar, Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah, Nasim Ali Shah and Yousaf Khan.

While an ATC handed over the PTI MNAs and several other workers on Aug 10 to Sangjani police for eight days on physical remand, rejecting the request for 17-day custody.

However, at a hearing of lawmakers’ petitions against the physical custody the next day, the Islamabad High Court had struck down the verdict and sent the 10 MNAs on judicial remand.

In a separate development, the Natio­nal Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had declared the Parliament Lodges Islam­abad as sub-jail for the 10 lawmakers.

While hearing the PTI leaders’ bail petition, Judge Abul Hasanat Zulqarnain accepted their plea against a bond of Rs30,000.

Prosecutor Raja Zahid said the minimum sentence for the sections invoked in the case was three years, urging the judge to deny the bail.

PTI’s lawyer Sardar Masroof Khan said the sections invoked in the case were not applicable, adding that the district administration had provided the no-objection certificates to the party for holding the Sangjani rally.

“The case was filed on political grounds and has nothing to do with reality,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2024