Former adviser to Nawaz Sharif and journalist, Irfan Siddiqui was granted bail on Sunday, a day after a judicial magistrate sent him to Adiala Jail on a 14-day judicial remand in a tenant agreement case. Judicial Magistrate Mehreen Baloch approved bail of Siddiqui and his tenant Javed Iqbal against a sum of Rs 20,000. The duo was released from prison soon after the Interior Ministry confirmed receiving orders from the court.
Police in the federal capital late on Friday last arrested Irfan Siddiqui; the close aide of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Police had said that Siddiqui was arrested for violating tenancy laws and renting out his house without informing police. The case was registered under Section 188 at Ramna police station. In the FIR No 243/19, the police said that they had received a complaint in this regard. Under this law, all property owners have to inform local police stations about the details of their tenants. Javed Iqbal was arrested along with Siddiqui.
The bail plea filed by Siddiqui's counsel was supposed to be heard on Monday. Baloch, however, commenced court over the weekend and granted Siddiqui a post-arrest bail even before his lawyers Advocate Abdul Khaliq Thind and Hafiz Munawar Iqbal reached her office. The Assistant Commissioner's staff called his lawyers to inform them of her order. Siddiqui's legal team then headed to Adiala jail with the magistrate's order to secure his release.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb arrived at Adiala Jail to receive Siddiqui. Speaking to reporters after his release, Siddiqui said: "Such an incident cannot take place in a [country that has a] democratic government that is just and values democratic norms." He said that he was busy writing late at night when the police came to arrest him. "Dozens of policemen had surrounded the house," he added. "I was dragged into a car and was treated like a terrorist," he lamented, adding that he will write about the incident.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said the PTI government will end soon and no NRO would be given to it. She said the PTI leaders on their foreign visits vowed to remove AC and TV from Nawaz Sharif's room but never talked about the country's development and economic progress. She said Pakistan is being defamed by this government and fake news are being spread after not finding any evidence of corruption against Sharifs. She said there is a specific procedure to file a lawsuit in the UK but the government is defending the planted story. She said Irfan Siddiqui should have been discharged from the case instead of releasing on bail, adding that his picture with handcuffs and a pen is part of history now. She said the government is not ashamed of this act; rather, the release is due to the pressure of media and civil society.
According to a press released issued by National Assembly Secretariat on Sunday, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser also expressed concern over the handcuffing of Siddiqui, terming it as "condemnable." The Speaker summoned the Inspector General of Police Islamabad to the Parliament with the report of the incident. "It is condemnable to handcuff [him] for disobeying the tenancy law," he told Interior Minister Ejaz Shah during a phone conversation. "Irfan Siddiqui is a senior journalist and teacher," Asad said. "We have to respect the sanctity of knowledge and freedom of expression." "I cannot tolerate injustice with anyone on any level," the speaker declared and said that the matter must be probed. He said that the government believes in freedom of expression and upholds independence of media.
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