An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Friday approved the bail of 153 PTI workers who were arrested on November 26 when law enforcement agencies carried out a crackdown on protesters at Islamabad’s D-Chowk.
On Nov 13, Imran issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party members, and the reversal of the 26th Amendment which he said had strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.
In the wake of the protest, human rights organisation Amnesty International demanded a transparent investigation of the state’s “deadly crackdown” to disperse PTI supporters from D-Chowk.
Numerous PTI workers were arrested in the ensuing crackdown while multiple cases were filed against the party leadership and supporters. According to the federal capital’s police chief, more than 1,400 suspects had been arrested by the Islamabad and Rawalpindi police.
On January 3, an Islamabad ATC granted post-arrest bail to 250 PTI arrested on Nov 26, while on January 6, as many as 192 PTI workers, who were detained in Jhelum district jail, were released after their bail petitions were accepted by an ATC in Islamabad.
During today’s hearing, which was presided over by ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Mohammad Zulqarnain, the petitions of 177 PTI workers were heard.
Subsequently, bail was granted to 153 PTI workers, while the court rejected the bail pleas of 24 workers. Four lawyers presented arguments on behalf of the PTI workers, namely Sardar Masroof Khan, Mirza Aslam Baig, Fataullah Burki, and Murtaza Turi.
Of the 48 workers whose cases were registered at the Karachi Company Police Station, bail was granted to 43 workers while the cases of five were dismissed.
The cases of seven workers were registered at the Tarnol Police Station, of which two were granted bail, while the cases of five were rejected.
