KASUR: Area Magistrate Adil Sarwar Sial on Thursday released all the suspects, including local MNA and MPA of the ruling party, subject to submission of surety bonds worth Rs100,000 each.

On Wednesday, A-Division police had arrested 45 activists of PML-N for hurling expletives at judiciary in reaction to lifetime disqualification of Nawaz Sharif.

On Thursday, a large number of party workers gathered outside the room of the judge. A heavy police contingent was deployed as well.

The suspects were brought to the court at about 3pm while the verdict was announced at 4.40pm. The parliamentarians and local government heads were brought to the court without shackles whereas others were handcuffed.

Two of the suspects – Baitul Mal Chairman Nasir Khan and Market Committee Chairman Jamil Khan – did not turn up to the courtroom to get bails. They were said to be taken to some [undisclosed] location by the law enforcers.

The defense counsel argued that the suspects, except Nasir Khan and Jamil Khan, had not made derogatory remarks against the judiciary and intelligence agencies [as is evident from the video clips].

The counsel said police [allegedly] arrested vendors, passers-by and those who went to the police station to see their near and dear ones, just to show maximum arrests to their high-ups.

It merits mentioning that complainant retired major Habibur Rehman did not appear in the court to support the prosecution case.The magistrate in his judgment observed that the offences were bailable in nature, so the suspects are released on bail subject to submission of Rs100,000 surety bonds each. The judgment also said in case of failure to submit bonds, the suspects would be sent to judicial lock-up and produced before the court on May 3 along with report under section 173 of CrPC.

As the court announced its verdict at 4:40pm, a majority of the arrested [commoners] may fail to submit surety bonds.

Meanwhile, district bar members Fahad Akram and Usman Khalid submitted two petitions to the Kasur district and sessions judge for the registration of case against suspects, including MNA Waseem Akhtar and MPA Naeem Safdar, for speaking ill of the judiciary.

No elected representative of the ruling party from Kasur’s other constituencies went to the court to support the [arrested] MPs.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2018