ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted protective bail to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Qadir Patel to enable him to appear before an antiterrorism court in Karachi, while on a similar plea before the Sindh High Court, his lawyer was directed to first produce the power of attorney executed by the lawmaker in his favour to move the SHC.

Non-bailable arrest warrants for the PPP’s member of the National Assembly were issued by the ATC in Karachi last week due to his absence in the case related to providing healthcare facilities to the suspects of terrorism. Other suspects in the case are Anees Qaimkhani, Dr Asim Hussain, Rauf Siddiqui, Waseem Akhtar and Usman Moazzam.

The IHC division bench, headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, took up the MNA’s petition seeking protective bail. His counsel apprised the court that the opposition leader was scheduled to appear before the ATC on March 26, but it was due to the crucial National Assembly session that he could not appear before the court. The counsel also expressed the apprehension that the opposition MNA might be arrested while travelling to the court and sought bail.

Directs the petitioner to appear before the ATC by April 13

The bench granted him protective bail till April 13 with the direction that he would appear before the ATC by then. As per court order, the protective bail will stand expired on April 13 or whenever the lawmaker would appear before the court of competent jurisdiction.

The Sindh High Court, meanwhile, directed another lawyer to produce the power of attorney executed by MNA Petal in his favour to move the court on his behalf for protective bail.

The PPP lawmaker, who was in Islamabad on Tuesday, through his attorney filed a petition in the SHC to seek protective/transitory bail in order to appear before the ATC.

The counsel said the petitioner regularly attended the trial court at every hearing, but it was due to the NA session only that he could not attend the court last week when the ATC issued arrest warrants against him.

When the two-judge bench, headed by Justice K. K. Agha, asked the attorney if he had a power of attorney to approach this court on the behalf of the lawmaker, he replied in the negative.

“The learned counsel for the petitioner is directed to produce power of the attorney, if any, executed by the petitioner in favour of his attorney namely Adnan Hussain. To be fixed in court after compliance,” the court order stated.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2022