ATC approves immediate bail of PTI leaders arrested in public rally case

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad has granted bail to several members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, including Ahmad Chatta, who was arrested for allegedly violating standard operating procedures (SOPs) during a public rally on September 8.

The court accepted their bail applications, ordering their release against surety bonds of Rs 30,000 each.

Judge Abu al-Hasanat Muhammad Zulqernain heard the case and rejected the prosecutor’s argument that bail should not be granted due to the minimum sentence of three years for the applied sections.

Moreover, the prosecutor, Raja Naveed, also confirmed that nothing had been recovered from the arrested MNAs, leading to the court’s decision to release them.

The arrests were made by the Islamabad police, with prior approval from National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, following the registration of an FIR against the PTI lawmakers for violating SOPs during the public rally.

Additionally, three cases have been registered under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill in Islamabad, citing violations of the event’s no-objection certificate (NOC). The FIR names 28 individuals, including PTI leaders.

Those arrested include PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, Sher Afzal Marwat, Shoaib Shaheen, Zain Qureshi, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Owais Ahmed Chatha, Syed Shah Ahmed, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Yousaf Khan, Maulana Naseem Shah, and Ahmed Shah Khattak. The development highlights the ongoing tensions between the PTI party and the government.