Several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on Friday withdrew their bail applications from an anti-terrorism court in ransacking cases, registered during the party’s recent long march, after police stated that their arrest was no longer required.
ATC Judge Abhar Gul Khan heard the bail applica-tions filed by PTI leaders including Yasmin Rashid, Hammad Azhar, Umair Niazi, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Jamshed Cheema, Shafqat Mehmood, Mian Meh-moodur Rasheed, Mussarat Cheema, Andleeb Abbas and others.
The Lahore police submitted a report during the proceedings and apprised that charges did not prove against the accused in four cases and their arrest was no longer required. The court was also apprised that sections of Anti-Terrorism Act had been removed from the cases.
Subsequently, the PTI leaders withdrew their bail applications, in the light of the police report.
Shahdara, Bhatti Gate, Shafiqueabad and Gulberg police had registered cases against the PTI leaders.
What could be termed a big relief for the PTI, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Friday dropped section 7AT from four cases registered against the party leaders in connection with causing damage to public property during the party’s long march towards Islamabad on May 25, 2022. All 20 party leaders, including Mian Aslam Iqbal, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Shafqat Mehmood, Mehmoodur Rasheed, Jamshed Cheema, Musarrat Cheema and Murad Raas, who were nominated in different cases at Shafiqabad and Factory Area police stations, withdrew their interim bail applications after the court ordered to discharge them from these cases.