LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday extended the pre-arrest bail of Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub in multiple cases of May 9 riots, including the attack on residence of Lahore corps commander.
The opposition leader appeared before the court on expiry of his bail period.
A deputy prosecutor told the court that the records of the cases were lying with the Supreme Court, Islamabad, for the hearing of appeals filed by both— the prosecution and the defence. He sought more time to present the record.
ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill allowed the request and adjourned the hearing till May 26.
The judge also extended the bail of Mr Ayub and MPA Farhat Abbas till the next hearing.
Talking to the media outside the court, the opposition leader criticised the government for, what he claimed, giving a weak response to India’s aggression. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave a speech denying Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam incident but the message was not given forcefully.
Mr Ayub claimed that the former prime minister Imran Khan had made it clear to India that Pakistan would talk later, first, it would strike. He said a clear message must be sent to India that if it ever tried to cross the border, a strong response would be given. He stated that India was conducting war exercises and that a firm and clear message should be given to it by Pakistan.
He further condemned the government’s actions against the PTI, saying cases were being registered against ‘patriotic’ citizens.
Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2025
