PESHAWAR, April 5: An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday dismissed bail applications of 37 people, including activists of the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP), arrested for allegedly committing acts of terrorism during last week?s strike by the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement. The court presided over by Shahjee Rehman Khan observed that the applicants, including PMAP vice-president Arbab Mujeebur Rehman and provincial president Mukhtiar Khan Yousufzai, did not qualify to be released on bail.

The accused were arrested on March 31 and an FIR was registered against them at the University Town police station. They were charged under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and the Pakistan Penal Code. They were accused of damaging public and private property on the University Road.

Advocate Abdul Lateef Afridi appeared for the applicants and contended that they were innocent and falsely implicated in the case. He argued that most of the applicants were passers-by and arrested after the mob, which had damaged the property, had left the scene.

BAIL GRANTED: Meanwhile, the court granted bail to three other persons, who also were arrested after the strike, in the jurisdiction of the Kabuli police.

The presiding officer directed that the applicants should be released after they furnished two sureties of Rs300,000 each.

Applicants were Zahid Khan Achakzai, Watan Yar and Jehangir Khan.

Their counsel argued that no public property had been damaged.