LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Friday extended interim pre-arrest bail of PTI Secretary General Asad Umar and other leaders in a case of violence and attack on police outside Zaman Park and also ordered them to appear before a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) made to probe the events.

Earlier, Umar, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema and Zubair Khan Niazi appeared before the court on expiry of their pre-arrest bail.

Barrister Salman Safdar represented the PTI leaders before the court.

JIT head SSP Imran Kishwar told the court that only Asad Umar had so far joined the police investigation.

Extends their pre-arrest bail

PTI’s counsel said the petitioners should be allowed to join the investigation in the court.

However, the SSP said the petitioners were required to appear before the JIT at its office as their statements would be recorded in the presence of the witnesses of the case.

Judge Abher Gul Khan directed the PTI leaders to appear before the JIT on Friday at 2:30pm.

Dr Rashid requested the court to give a long date in the bail hearing as election activities were at peak.

However, the judge turned down the request and observed that elections and all other matters were supposed to run alongside.

The judge extended the bail of the PTI leaders till April 27.

The clashes between the PTI workers and the police occurred on March 18 when a police team went to Zaman Park residence of former prime minister Imran Khan with a search warrant for the investigation of the previous incidents of violence.

The Lahore High Court had also permitted the police to visit the venue for investigation.

Imran Khan had already left for Islamabad to appear before different courts when the police reached his Lahore residence.

The party workers attacked the police teams with petrol bombs, rocks and also torched official vehicles.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2023