LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday granted post-arrest bail to PTI social media activist Falak Javed in a case related to alleged viral circulation of a fake video of Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari.

Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry allowed the bail petition subject to furnishing surety bonds of Rs1 million.

The judge also granted bail to a co-suspect, Muhammad Shafiq, in the case.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had registered a case on Azma Bokhari’s complaint regarding the circulation of a fake video.

Earlier, a judicial magistrate and a sessions court had dismissed bail petitions of the suspects.

SENTENCE: An anti-terrorism court on Monday sentenced a man to eight-year rigorous imprisonment on charges of possessing explosive material and having links with a proscribed organisation.

Judge Shahid Sikandar announced the guilty verdict after the prosecution successfully established its charges against the accused, Muhammad Hamas Khan.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) had registered a case against the accused in 2025 after recovering explosive material from his possession.

The prosecution told the court that the accused was associated with a banned outfit and was involved in terrorist activities.

The defence counsel argued that the accused was a resident of Dera Ismail Khan and an employee of Wapda. He said the accused worked as a driver at the Gomal Zam Dam project. He contended that his client had travelled to Lahore to collect a government crane cable from a Wapda office and had no links to any proscribed organisation.

The judge ruled that the prosecution had successfully established its case, leading to the conviction and sentencing of the accused.

After the announcement of the judgment, the custody of the convict was handed over to jail officials.

Pleas adjourned: A Lahore High Court division bench on Monday adjourned the appeals of PTI leaders against their sentences in May 9 cases after a special prosecutor recused himself from pursuing the appeals on behalf of the prosecution.

The Punjab government had appointed a senior lawyer, Munir Ahmed Bhatti, as special prosecutor to represent the prosecution department before the high court in the appeals.

During the hearing, Advocate Bhatti appeared and informed the bench that he could not continue to represent the state in these appeals due to personal reasons.

An additional prosecutor general stated that he needed time to seek instructions from the government regarding the conduct of the appeals and the appointment of a new special prosecutor.

At this, the bench headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Rizvi adjourned the appeals filed by Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, Umar Sarfraz Cheema and Afzal Azeem Pahat.

The appellants have been sentenced to jail terms by the anti-terrorism courts in multiple cases of May 9 riots on various charges including abetment in violence and criminal conspiracy.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2026