LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday extended pre-arrest bail of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s former secretary general Asad Umar, former prime minister Imran Khan’s sisters Uzma Khan and Aleema Khan in multiple cases relating to the May 9 riots.

Both sisters of the PTI chairman appeared before the court on expiry of their previous bail in four cases.

The investigating officer told the court that the suspects had not joined the investigation.

Asked by the court, the sisters of Imran Khan said they had appeared before a joint investigation team. They claimed that the police were not ready to record their statements.

Judge Abher Gul Khan directed the women suspects to appear before the investigating officer concerned to join the investigation.

Bail pleas of Qureshi, Fawad rejected

The judge extended the bail of both sisters till Sept 19 with a direction to join the investigation of the cases.

The IO told the court that Asad Umar had been discharged in five out of seven cases against him.

Three of the discharged cases were registered by Sarwar Road police while one each by Gulberg and Racecourse police stations.

The judge extended the pre-arrest bail of Umar in the remaining two cases till Sept 19. The judge also directed him to join the investigation of the two cases.

QURESHI: A counsel appeared on behalf of PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and stated that the petitioner had been arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). He said the circumstances were not in the control of the petitioner, therefore, could not appear before the court.

The counsel asked the court to exempt Mr Qureshi from personal appearance due to his arrest in another case.

However, the judge dismissed the bail petitions of Mr Qureshi in six cases for non-prosecution.

The judge also dismissed bail petition of PTI’s former leader Fawad Chaudhry for non-prosecution in two cases of the May 9 violence.

Separately, Judge Khan directed the police not to produce PTI Punjab president Dr Yasmin Rashid, former provincial minister Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, Senator Ijaz Chaudhry and all other suspects on expiry of their judicial remand for being on physical remand in other cases.

The judge sent the PTI leaders back to jail.

The police registered cases of the attacks on Jinnah House, which also serves as the residence of Lahore`s corps commander, Askari Tower in Gulberg, torching of PML-N offices in Model Town and a container near Kalma Chowk.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2023