LAHORE: A sessions court on Friday granted post-arrest bail to a suspect in the assault of TikToker Ayesha Akram at Minar-i-Pakistan after the complainant changed her statement.

Flanked by her counsel, Ayesha appeared before the court and recorded her statement in favour of the suspect, Iftikhar Ahmad. The complainant said she had lodged the FIR against the suspect on the basis of suspicion and misunderstanding.

In her written affidavit filed with the court, she said, “Now I have got my satisfaction about the innocence of the accused/petitioner through respectables of locality.” The TikToker said she had no objection if the suspect was released on bail.

In light of the statement of the complainant, Additional District & Sessions Judge Akhlaq Ahmad allowed the bail petition of the suspect subject to furnishing bail bonds of Rs100,000.

The Lorry Adda police had registered a case against 400 unidentified people for assaulting the complainant, molesting and stripping her. Police later also arrested Ayesha’s team associate Amir Sohail alias Rambo after she accused him of blackmailing. Sections 354-A (assault or use of criminal force against woman and stripping her of her clothes), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to commit the theft), 147 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code had been included in the FIR.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2021