LHC orders release of model Ayyan Ali on bail

Published
87

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday has ordered the release of supermodel Ayyan Ali on bail, exactly four months after she was arrested on charges of currency smuggling on March 14, DawnNews reported.

After the LHC and a Rawalpindi customs court rejected her previous petitions, her most recent application was successful today.

The supermodel was an inmate at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail. ─ AP/File
The supermodel was an inmate at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail. ─ AP/File

Previously, the supermodel sought bail adopting the stance that she went to the airport to hand the money over to her brother who was arriving in the city that day via an Emirates flight.

The LHC registrar had declared this bail plea of Ayyan as not maintainable under the objection that a petition for bail had already been rejected by the LHC.

Read more: Supermodel Ayyan held for attempting to fly out with $500,000

Counsel for Ayyan, Khurrum Latif Khosa had said that the earlier rejected plea was against a customs court, while the fresh bail petition directly addresses the LHC.

Justice Abdul Sami of the LHC had taken her lawyer's view into consideration and declared that a separate bail petition before the LHC is maintainable.

Read more: Ayyan Ali finally breaks her silence

Ayyan recently addressed the court for the first time, alleging that she was facing discriminatory treatment during the trial of the currency smuggling case against her. She claimed that while others facing similar charges are released on bail she has been behind bars for months.

She had pointed out that the other accused caught carrying double or triple the amount in their bags were released on bail after a couple of weeks but her request for bail was being denied.

The supermodel was arrested at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport on March 14 on charges of money laundering after being caught with over half a million dollars by customs officials.

Read more: Footprints: Sympathy for the model

Opinion

Editorial

Need for dialogue
06 Aug, 2026

Need for dialogue

THE interior minister’s comments at an Islamabad seminar last week have sparked many a conversation about the ...
Bad press
06 Aug, 2026

Bad press

THE government’s move to impose restrictions on international media will not only alienate the foreign press, it...
Automobile concerns
06 Aug, 2026

Automobile concerns

PAKISTAN’S automobile industry is at a critical juncture. Sharp cuts in tariffs on the import of completely built...
State of confusion
Updated 05 Aug, 2026

State of confusion

FROM the looks of it, America has no exit strategy to extricate itself from the disastrous war with Iran. US...
Pension decision
05 Aug, 2026

Pension decision

THE government’s decision to formally operationalise the new Defined Contribution Pension Fund Scheme is a step...
Preventable deaths
05 Aug, 2026

Preventable deaths

THE deaths of 144 children from measles and diphtheria in Karachi during the first seven months of the year expose a...