ATC grants Raoof Hasan bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000

ISLAMABAD: The anti-terrorism court approved the bail petition of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Information Secretary Raoof Hasan in a terror financing case. ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra granted bail against surety bonds worth Rs200,000.

Hasan had been placed on a 14-day judicial remand at Adiala Jail following court orders on August 3. He was initially not named in the terrorism FIR but was arrested on July 31 based on allegations from co-accused Ahmed Waqas Janjua, who claimed Hasan provided him with Rs300,000 to fund terrorism.

The court had previously denied bail to Janjua. Hasan was later named in the case after Janjua’s statement, which led to his arrest by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on July 22.

Hasan’s lawyer, Ali Bukhari, argued that physical remand was unnecessary for recovering the alleged funds and emphasized that Hasan was not originally implicated in the case. He contended that there was no direct evidence linking Hasan to the crime.

Prosecutor Raja Naveed argued that Hasan was named in the case based on Janjua’s statement and requested that the bail petition be rejected, citing non-bailable provisions.

However, Hasan’s lawyers maintained that the charges were baseless and politically motivated.

The case against Hasan continues as the court prepares for further proceedings.