LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday withdrew bailable warrants for the arrest of fashion designer Khadija Shah after she appeared in the Askari Tower attack case of the May 9 riots.

Accompanied by a lawyer, Ms Shah appeared before the court and undertook to appear at each hearing of the case without fail.

Judge Arshad Javed cancelled the warrants of the fashion designer and adjourned further hearing till May 2. The other day, the judge had cancelled arrest warrants of Ms Shah in the Jinnah House attack trial proceedings.

Ms Shah, a granddaughter of former army chief Asif Nawaz Janjua, was released from jail last year following bail in all the May 9 cases against her.

YASMIN: In a handwritten statement provided to the court reporters, incarcerated PTI Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid said a whole year is about to complete and the oppression inflicted on the party workers has not ended.

She said hundreds of innocent members are still imprisoned.

Particularly, the ‘injustice’ being done to social media activist Sanam Javed and former MNA Aalia Hamza are unprecedented in the history of Pakistan, she added.

Ms Rashid alleged that the two women have been detained in Sargodha jail on the orders of ‘madam ruthless’, a term she uses to call Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

“This oppression can only be answered through vote,” she said urging the citizens to come out on April 21, when by-polls on five national and provincial seats are set to be held in Lahore.

She asked the citizens to vote for the candidates of Tehreek-i-Insaf (Sunni Ittehad Council) and also protect their vote.

CHEEMA AND EJAZ: In a joint written statement issued to the media, former governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry urged the PTI leadership to consider the return of those leaders who parted their ways with the party due to post-May 9 ‘atrocities.’

They said not everyone can withstand the difficulties, pressure and violence, which is why some leaders left the party.

They said many people want to join the party again after seeing the resilience and bravery of the PTI founder and the response of the people in the Feb 8 election.

They appeal to Imran Khan to allow them (leaders) to return as workers and participate in the movement to protect the Constitution of Pakistan.

The police presented the three PTI leaders and others before the ATC for the hearing of the May 9 cases against them.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2024