ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday granted protective bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and activists for 14 days in connection with the violence witnessed in the Punjab Assembly during the chief minister’s election on April 16.

Acting Chief Justice Aamer Farooq accepted the identical petitions of PML-N leaders and directed them to approach the court of competent jurisdiction within 14 days.

The party leaders, who made the state and Lahore’s Qilla Gujjar Singh police station head respondents in their petitions, included Rana Mashood, Saiful Malook Khokhar, Adil Chattha, Attaullah Tarar, Shuaib Marth, Malik Ghulam Habib, Sardar Awais, Mirza Javed, Pir Khizer Hayat, Raja Saghir, Abdul Rauf, Bilal Farooq and Rana Manan.

According to the petitions, the FIR against them was registered on the complaint of Deputy Superintendent of Police Shahzad Manzoor. The petitioners termed the contents of the FIR “frivolous” and based on “mala fide” intentions.

IHC grants protective bail to girl in student’s manhandling case

In their pleas, the petitioners said their liberty was at stake as there was strong apprehension of their arrest while approaching the court of competent jurisdiction for relief. They PML-N leaders requested the IHC to grant them protective bails so that they can appear before the relevant court for futher proceedings.

The FIR in the case alleged that there was a call for the chief minister’s election in the Punjab Assembly when “a few members of the Assembly attacked the deputy speaker” who was subsequently escorted to his chamber. It stated a few unknown individuals entered the guest gallery and assaulted the lawmakers.

In a separate case, the IHC granted protective bail to one Ana Sheikh for four days against surety bond of Rs25,000 in a case pertaining to the manhandling of a medical student.

Ana Sheikh and her father, Sheikh Danish, had allegedly manhandled a student Khadija over her refusal of a marriage proposal. The Faisalabad police had registered an FIR against Mr Danish and his daughter Ana after the videos of manhandling the victim went viral.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2022