PESHAWAR: A local court on Wednesday granted interim pre-arrest bail to six teachers of the University of Peshawar, including the president of its teachers’ association, in a trespass case.

The court of an additional district and sessions judge restrained the local police from arresting the teachers till final decision over their pre-arrest bail petition.

The suspects included the Peshawar University Teachers Association’s president Prof Jamil Ahmad Chitrali, Prof Iqbal and four others, including women.

The complainant in the case is the university’s treasurer, Ms Asma Ibrahim.

The FIR of the case was registered at the University Campus police station on Jan 17, 2022.

The complainant had alleged that she had to lock herself inside her residence at the Professors Colony when the six suspects trespassed on her residence, filmed the labourers working there, and also hurled threats at them.

Advocate Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel, who represented the petitioners, contended that the FIR was not based on facts.

He said his clients had not hurled any threats on labourers and had also not damaged any property. He added his clients were falsely implicated in the instant case.

The counsel contended that the offences mentioned in the FIR were bailable in nature. He added the suspects were highly qualified and had done their PhDs and specialisations in their respective fields, and if they were arrested by the police, their reputation would be put at stake.

He contended that the FIR was false and frivolous in nature, and was meant merely to harass and traumatise the teachers due to a tussle between teachers and administrative officers of the university.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2022