Islamabad
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan ordered the release of all Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers arrested from the Parliament House on September 8. The court granted post-arrest bail to the PTI MNAs, who were detained by the Islamabad police. The bail was set at Rs30,000 per person.
During the hearing, the prosecutor mentioned that Sunni Ittehad Council lawmaker Muhammad Ahmed Chattha was also involved. He opposed the bail, citing a minimum sentence of three years for the charges. The judge asked if any evidence was recovered from the arrested MNAs, and the prosecutor responded no.
The court also approved pre-arrest bail for PTI leader Ali Bukhari, who was accused of violating the No Objection Certificate (NOC) and assaulting police personnel during the rally. The court has scheduled the next hearing for October 1.
Several PTI leaders, including Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and lawmaker Sher Afzal Marwat, were arrested for allegedly violating the new public gathering law and clashing with police. Marwat resisted arrest, demanding an arrest warrant.
On September 12, at least 10 PTI lawmakers were brought to the lower house following their production orders. During the rally, PTI supporters demanded the release of their leader, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been in prison for over a year after being sentenced in a corruption case.
