PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has granted transit bail to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader and MNA Shandana Gulzar Khan till Oct 25 in cases registered in Lahore after the party’s recent public meeting there.

A single-member bench of Justice Shakeel Ahmad restrained the law enforcement agencies, including the Punjab police, from arresting the lawmaker, and directed her to approach the concerned courts in Lahore by Oct 25.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by the MNA stating that concocted cases had been registered against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and leaders of the PTI after their public meeting of Sept 21.

Her counsel stated that they came to know that the Punjab police had registered multiple FIRs after the said public meeting.

He stated that the police had levelled baseless allegations against the PTI leaders of damaging public properties and creating hindrance in the duty of government officials.

He said that apart from the chief minister the police claimed that 300 unknown leaders and workers of PTI were involved in commission of the so-called offence.

The counsel said that the petitioner came to know that the police had also nominated her in those cases by including her among the said 300 unidentified persons.

He argued that the petitioner wanted to approach the relevant court in Lahore to get pre-arrest bail but she apprehended that she would be arrested on her way to the court in Lahore.

He requested the bench to grant her transit/protective bail so that she could approach the court in Lahore.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2024