LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought personal appearance of PML-N MNA Javed Latif on an appeal of the Punjab government challenging his post-arrest bail in an alleged case of uttering anti-state remarks and inciting people for mutiny.A sessions court had granted bail to the MNA on June 9, 2021, while the government through the Punjab prosecutor general filed the appeal in the LHC on June 15.

The appeal said the MNA made a statement against the state institutions. It said the sessions court released the respondent on bail ignoring facts of the case. It further said the offences included in the FIR were not bailable. It asked the LHC to set aside the bail granting order of the sessions court.

Justice Anwarul Haq Pannun issued a notice to the MNA for personal appearance on Oct 10.

Township police had registered the FIR on a complaint of citizen Jamil Saleem under sections 120/120B, 153/153A, 500, 505(i)(B) and 506 of Pakistan Penal Code. The sections deal with the offences of causing incitement against the state institutions including the army and promoting enmity between different groups.

In a television programme, he said his party would not say “Pakistan Khappay” (long live Pakistan) if any harm reached to its vice president, Maryam Nawaz. He was arrested on April 27, 2021, after the dismissal of his pre-arrest bail.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2022