An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Tuesday granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in four cases — including the Asmatullah Junejo assault case — which had been registered after the PTI's 2014 rally which paralysed the capital city.
In 2014, Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek Charman Tahirul Qadri had staged a major rally in Islamabad against alleged rigging in the 2013 elections and the Model Town tragedy, which had seen as many as 14 people killed and 100 others injured as police attacked Qadri's residence during an 'anti-encroachment' operation.
Khan had threatened to shut down the entire country in what was perceived as a bid to topple the government. The protest had continued for a record 104 days.
On Sept 1, 2014, while the sit-in was still ongoing, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asmatullah Junejo had been beaten up by protesters on Constitution Avenue as they stormed the Pakistan Television (PTV) headquarters and the precincts of the Parliament.
A case had been registered against Khan, Qadri and others for torturing SSP Junejo and five other police officers. Arrest warrants had also been issued against the two leaders.
On Tuesday, anti-terrorism court judge Shahrukh Arjuman granted bail to the PTI chief against a surety of Rs200,000 per case after he unexpectedly appeared before the court.
Earlier, Advocate Babar Awan had appeared before the court for a hearing of the case and submitted a bail plea. However, Justice Arjuman told the lawyer that bail will only be granted if Khan appears before the court himself.
Khan and Qadri had previously been declared absconders on November 14, 2014 for not appearing before the ATC.
