ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), on Monday, dismissed 80 bail applications, out of 86 pleas, filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in different cases registered against them in connection with the November 26 protest.
The ATC judge, Abual Muhammad Hasnat Zulqarnain, while announcing its reserved judgement, rejected bail applications of 80 PTI workers and approved bails pleas of six workers against the surety bonds of Rs5,000 each in cases registered at Tarnol and Kohsar police stations.
Defence counsel Ansar Kiyani, during the hearing, argued that none of the accused were initially named in the First Information Reports (FIRs) and were nominated after an identification parade, which, he stated, was conducted five months after the incident. He also questioned the legitimacy of the identification process, claiming it was conducted entirely in English language.
“Could the police officer speak English? Could the accused even understand English?” Kiyani questioned. He added that no recoveries were made from the accused and that many of them were arrested from their homes, not from the scene of the protest.
Kiyani also criticised the practice of transferring individuals from Rawalpindi jails into cases filed in Islamabad months later. “Statements given under police custody hold no legal weight,” he said.
Defence lawyers contended that no concrete role, evidence, or recovery links the accused to the alleged offenses, and therefore, bail should be granted.
They also pointed out that the court had already approved bail for some co-accused in similar cases, and that many FIRs, involve recoveries already made in Rawalpindi.
Advocate Sardar Muhammad Masroof Khan, representing the PTI workers, argued that none of the arrests were made from the protest site. “All individuals were picked up from their homes,” he stated.
Prosecutor Raja Naveed Kayani, while objecting to defence counsels’ claims, stated that the bail applications were being heard post-arrest, and that superior courts had already established legal precedents in such matters. “At this stage, we must determine the accused’s connection to the case,” he said.
He claimed that police have evidence linking the accused to violent incidents, and that all suspects were identified by eyewitnesses during the identification parade. “Whether the identification was done in Pashto or Persian language is a matter for trial — right now, this is a bail hearing.”
He requested the court to reject the bail applications. The court, after hearing the arguments, reserved its judgment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments