GWADAR: An anti-terrorism court, headed by judge Abdul Samad Mengal, accepted the bail application of Noor Jahan Baloch and ordered her release on bail on Monday.

Senior lawyer Jarden Dashti and former advocate general for Balochistan Nazimuddin had filed the bail application contending that all allegations levelled by the CTD officials against Noor Jahan were fabricated and wrong.

Ms Baloch was arrested by the CTD during a raid at her house in Hoshab town last week on a charge of planning a suicide attack on a convoy of foreigners on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Highway near Hoshab.

The CTD officials had claimed to have recovered a suicide jacket and explosives from her house during the raid.

The court, after hearing the bail application, had reserved its judgement on Saturday.

A protest sit-in started immediately by the people in Hoshab, including activists of political parties and members of civil society, after the arrest of Ms Baloch, was called off following her release on bail on Monday.

The protest sit-in had kept the CPEC Highway blocked for a week, causing suspension of all kinds of vehicular traffic on the highway.

Students of Balochistan University also called off the protest sit-in they had staged in the Red Zone area of the provincial capital in solidarity with the people of Hoshab.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2022