LAHORE: A day after being granted bail by the Lahore High Court, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi was released on Wednesday afternoon from jail and reached his residence after a relatively low-key reception by his followers.

Accompanied by his deputy and patron-in-chief of the TLP, Pir Afzal Qadri, he arrived at the mosque where he would lead prayers, but did not address his party workers. His party also stayed quiet on his release and its future course of action.

Pir Zubair, the TLP spokesman, told Dawn that Mr Rizvi had just arrived and the party leaders and workers got busy in breaking fast. The party would hold a consultative meeting soon and see what course of action it would take on different national issues, he added.

A Lahore High Court two-judge bench on Tuesday granted post-arrest bail to Mr Rizvi and Mr Qadri in a case of leading violent protests against acquittal of Christian woman Aasia Bibi in a blasphemy case.

The bench comprising Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan and Justice Asjad Javed Ghural allowed the bail petition of Rizvi on merits and that of Qadri on medical grounds till July 15. Both were directed to furnish bail bonds of Rs500,000 each.

Civil Lines police had registered the FIR under sections 290/291/353/427/186/188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), section 6 of Sound System Punjab Ordinance 2015 and section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 against the TLP leaders.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2019