LAHORE: A sessions court on Wednesday released PML-N MNA Javed Latif on bail in a case of inciting people against the state institutions.

Allowing the post-arrest bail of Latif, Additional District and Sessions Hafeezur Rehman directed the parliamentarian to furnish two bail bonds of Rs200,000 each.

Advocate Farhad Ali Shah mainly argued on behalf of Latif that the FIR was baseless and a result of political victimization. He said police were not competent to take cognizance of the alleged offence mentioned in the FIR.

Earlier, Latif was also produced before a judicial magistrate at Model Town Courts on expiry of his judicial remand.

The magistrate extended the judicial remand of the MNA till June 23.

On his way back to jail, Latif briefly talked to the media and said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was the future of Pakistan. He claimed that PML-N would win majority in the next general election.

Since Latif has been granted bail, he is likely to be out from the jail today.

The Township police registered the FIR on complaint of citizen Jameel Saleem under sections 120/120B, 153/153A, 500, 505(i)(B) and 506 of Pakistan Penal Code. The sections deal with the offences of causing incitement against the state institutions including the army and promoting enmity between different groups.

In a television programme, he said his party would not say “Pakistan Khappay” (long live Pakistan) if anything happened to its vice president Maryam Nawaz. He was arrested on April 27 after a sessions court withdrew his pre-arrest bail.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2021