LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday granted interim protective bail to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Farrukh Habib in a case of violence at Islamabad judicial complex during the appearance of former prime minister Imran Khan.

A two-judge comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi restrained the police from arresting Habib till March 8.

The bench also directed the PTI leader to appear before the relevant court in Islamabad for the pre-arrest bail before the expiry of the protective bail.

Earlier, Habib along with his counsel appeared before the bench.

The counsel argued that the Islamabad police registered a case against the petitioner and other leaders of the PTI at the behest of the federal government. He said the police also included terrorism charges under section 7ATA in the FIR.

He requested the court to grant the protective bail to the petitioner as he wanted to appear before the court concerned in Islamabad.

ZULFI BOKHARI: ThePTI has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the release of former special assistant to prime minister Zulfi Bokhari, who volunteered his arrest during the ‘jail bharo tehreek’.

PTI vice president Fawad Chaudhry filed the petition saying Bokhari had courted arrest but the police shifted him to an undisclosed place. He said the police and the jail authorities shared no details with the party and the family as to the whereabouts of Bokhari.

He asked the court to get the PTI leader recovered from the alleged illegal detention of the police and set him at liberty.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2023