LAHORE: Several PML-N leaders and workers, including former federal minister Kamran Michael and ex-MNA Mehr Ishtiaq obtained pre-arrest bails from an anti-terrorism court in multiple cases lodged against participants of a rally taken out in the city on the arrival of ousted premier Nawaz Sharif.

The court granted them bail against furnishing surety bonds of Rs100,000 each. In the bail petitions, the PML-N leaders and workers denied the charges of resorting to violence during the welcome rally and termed the FIRs politically motivated. They said they were ready to join police investigation.

The others who got bail include deputy mayor Mehr Mehmood, Muhammad Afzal, Basharat Ali, Malik Asif, Mehr Imran, Muhammad Razzaq, Sharafat Ali, Mian Faisal, Muhammad Shabbir and Baqir Hussain.

Lohari and other police stations had lodged the cases against PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, his son Hamza Shahbaz and 50 other leaders besides hundreds of party’s workers on charges of inciting people to violence. All the cases were filed on terrorism charges in addition to other offences under the PPC.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2018