Observer Report
Lahore
The Punjab government on Tuesday challenged in the Supreme Court a Lahore High Court decision to grant bail to Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who was booked for launching violent protests against the acquittal of Aasia Bibi last year. The provincial government, in its appeal, has argued that the high court “did not fulfill legal requirements” in its decision to grant bail, which was made in May this year.
The petition said that there was enough evidence against the TLP chief and urged the top court to nullify the high court’s verdict. The appeal was submitted in the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office and will be heard in the Lahore registry by a two-member bench headed by Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik on July 18.
Rizvi and TLP patron-in-chief Pir Afzal Qadri — who is also nominated in the same case — were granted bail in May this year. Qadri’s bail expired on July 15 but was extended on medical grounds.
Civil Lines police had registered the FIR under Sections 290, 291, 353, 427, 186 and 188 of Pakistan Penal Code, Section 6 of the Sound System Punjab Ordinance 2015 and Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 after the TLP leaders led violent protests against the acquittal of Aasia Bibi in a concocted blasphemy case.
