LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday withdrew concession of pre-arrest bail earlier granted to two PML-N parliamentarians and involved in a case of staging an anti-judiciary rally in Kasur.

The court also dismissed their applications challenging the inclusion of section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 in the case.

Previously, the court had granted pre-arrest bail to MNA Wasim Akhtar Sheikh and MPA Naeem Safdar till May 23. The prosecution had challenged the bail granted to them saying the two were clearly seen in the video leading the anti-judiciary rally.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Abdul Rauf Wattoo contended that the suspects held the rally at Kashmir Chowk, Kasur, against the judiciary and tried to incite the people against the state institution.

In this case, the court had earlier allowed post-arrest bail to 32 others while dismissing the bail petitions of five other suspects.

In April, a video went viral on social media showing the suspects taking out a rally in Kasur and hurling abuses at the judges of the superior judiciary.

The local police registered a case against 80 people; of them six were identified as members of the ruling party PML-N.

The police booked them under sections 166, 506, 341, 228, 109, 147 and 149 of the PPC and later inserted section 7 of the ATA.

Separately, the LHC also initiated contempt of court proceedings against the six public office holders belonging to the PML-N and also indicted them under the contempt charge.

However, all the suspects including the two parliamentarians put themselves at the mercy of the court seeking an unconditional apology. The court is yet to make any decision on the apology tendered by the suspects.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2018