PESHAWAR: A single-member Peshawar High Court bench on Friday granted transit bail to provincial minister Shahram Tarakai and former governor Shah Farman until June 25 in cases of rioting and violence registered in Islamabad after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s recent Azadi March.

Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan accepted petitions of the two PTI leaders on condition of furnishing two sureties of Rs50,000 each.

The bench directed themto appear before the relevant Islamabad court by June 25.

A day ago, the bench granted transit bail to PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan until June 25.

The counsel for petitioners contended that FIRs had been registered against leaders and workers of the PTI, including petitioners, in Islamabad on May 26.

They contended that the petitioners were charged in concocted cases by the federal government.

The counsel said the government had registered several fabricated cases against former prime minister Imran Khan and other party leaders and workers.

The cases were mostly registered on May 26 under different provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code, including Section 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), Section 427 (mischief causing damage to currency), Section 147 (punishment for rioting), Section 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed), Section 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public function) and Section 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant).

The cases were registered after the Azadi March, which had begun on May 25 and ended on May 26 morning, mostly charging the PTI workers of resorting to violence at the behest of Mr Imran and other party leaders.

The counsel insisted that the PTI had announced a peaceful demonstration in Islamabad, but the ‘imported’ federal government had used ‘unreasonable’ tactics along with state machinery against the unarmed protesters across the country.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2022