Islamabad: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday granted bail to human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Ali Wazir in a sedition case.
ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain heard the plea and approved post-arrest bail of Imaan and Wazir against surety bonds of Rs30,000 each.
The two were arrested on August 20 in a sedition case related to the controversial speech against the state institutions and sent on physical remand after they were accused of delivering a controversial speech at the PTM’s public rally.
On 21, police presented Imaan and Mazari before the court and sought a 10-day physical remand of the suspects in the cases registered against them after they delivered a controversial speech at a recent PTM's public rally in the federal capital.
The court granted police three-day physical remand of Imaan and Wazir.
On August 24, an Islamabad ATC 24 had rejected the prosecution’s request to extend Imaan and Wazir’s physical remand in the sedition case and sent the two to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on judicial remand.
The first FIR was registered on the complaint of Tarnol Station House Officer (SHO) Mian Mohammad Imran under Sections 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 395 (punishment for dacoity), 440 (mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt) and 506ii (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The FIR said that the complainant was present with other police officers at Tarnol Phatak Chowk to maintain peace and calm during a rally of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). It said that the rally led by PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen, including Wazir and Imaan, began moving from the spot allocated to it in violation of its no-objection certificate.