ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad granted post-arrest bail to senior journalist Matiullah Jan on Saturday in a terrorism and narcotics case.
ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra approved the bail against a surety bond worth Rs10,000.
A day earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the physical remand of Matullah Jan granted to police by the trial court.
On Nov 28, the ATC approved the physical remand of Jan over the case including charges of terrorism and drug possession. Jan was taken into custody over the FIR filed by the Margalla police on the complaint of Superintendent of Police Asif Ali.
The FIR mentioned that Matiullah in his white Toyota Yaris injured the police constable Mudassir intentionally after he was signaled to stop at the checkpost on Margalla Road in the E-9 sector.
The complaint added that the journalist was intoxicated at the time, whereas, police recovered 246 grams of narcotic methamphetamine (crystal meth) from his vehicle. The case was registered at 3:20 am, nearly an hour after his alleged abduction, as per his family, took place.
The case included Section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint to the committing of the theft), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 506 (criminal intimidation) along with 7ATA (terrorism-related section) and a narcotics-related section of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.
Earlier, his family reported that Matiullah Jan, critical of the government’s handling of PTI protests, was apprehended along with fellow journalist Saqib Bashir at 11 pm on Wednesday. While Bashir was eventually released, Jan’s whereabouts remained unclear, his family said in a statement on social media.
