LAHORE: A sessions court on Wednesday granted interim pre-arrest bail to PML-N MPA Bilal Farooq Tarar in a case relating to violence in the Punjab Assembly on election of chief minister held on April 16.

Tarar along with his counsel appeared before the court and sought pre-arrest bail.

The court allowed the bail to the MPA till Sept 8 subject to furnishing of surety bonds.

Initially Qilla Gujjar Singh police had registered a case against the MPAs of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and PML-Q and staff of the assembly on charges of resorting to violence during the election of the chief minister wherein Hamza Shehbaz emerged victorious against Parvez Elahi.

The MPAs of the coalition government were also charged with manhandling then deputy speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari.

Several MPAs of the PTI and PML-Q besides staff of the assembly including then secretary of the assembly Muhammad Khan Bhatti had secured pre-arrest bail from the court in the case.

A sessions court on Monday sought a report from Qilla Gujjar Singh police on a petition of Punjab Assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi seeking registration of a FIR of alleged torture on him during the election of chief minister.

Mr Elahi had also approached the court after police refused to lodge a case on his application carrying charges of manhandling at the hands of the PML-N MPAs.

Elahi accused Hamza of orchestrating the attack on him and other MPAs in connivance with his private goons. He also accused then chief secretary, the inspector general of police and the deputy commissioner of acting at the behest of Hamza.

However, police had not registered the case due to unavailability of medical examination report of the applicant.

After the victory of Mr Elahi in a run-off election for the chief minister, the police changed direction of its investigation towards the MPAs of PML-N and started summoning them.

The police also got warrants from a judicial magistrate concerned for the arrest of MPAs of the PML-N including Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Attaullah Tarar, Sardar Awais Leghari, Saiful Malook Khokhar, Pir Khizar Hayat Khagga, Raja Sagheer Ahmad and others.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2022