RAWALPINDI:
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Friday ordered the release of five PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub and Raja Basharat, who were arrested outside Adiala Jail yesterday. Omar Ayub, Raja Basharat, and Ahmed Chatha were presented before the ATC following their arrests in connection with a case in Attock. The three leaders, who had been taken into custody earlier, were granted interim bail by the Peshawar High Court, with their lawyers presenting the bail orders during the court proceedings. Meanwhile, Azim and Majid Daniyal, who were also arrested in relation to a different case at the Dhamial Police Station, were not presented before the court as their cases were not under the jurisdiction of the ATC. Ahmed Chatha, Majid Daniyal, and Azim were released from jail following the legal developments. The police had deployed heavy security outside the ATC to ensure order throughout the proceedings. Speaking to the media outside the court, Advocate Mohammad Faisal Malik stated that the PTI leaders had gone to Adiala Jail the previous day for a trial related to GHQ, and although they were on bail, they were still arrested. He condemned this as a “cheap tactic” by the police, claiming their arrest was illegal. Advocate Faisal Malik further said that they were informed that there was no case against the leaders. After enduring a full day of trial, they were arrested. Following Imran Khan’s indictment in May 9 and GHQ attack cases, police on Thursday arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, outside Adiala Jail. He was taken into custody following a court decision, while former law minister Raja Basharat was also arrested as he exited the jail. Other PTI leaders, including Ahmed Chatha, were also detained and transferred to the police station at Adiala whereas PTI worker Azeem was also arrested. The Rawalpindi police have arrested Omar Ayub and four other PTI leaders in connection with cases related to violent protests following a ‘final’ call for action.