ISLAMABAD, Sep 15: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday approved the bail of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi in the judicial complex riot case.
ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain granted bail to the PTI president on a surety bond of Rs20,000 and ordered his release. Lawyers Babar Awan and Sardar Abdul Razzaq appeared as Elahi’s counsel while prosecutor Raja Naveed was also present.
The court remarked that the prosecution failed to discover any evidence from Elahi during his lengthy remand and that the accused should not be investigated further.
During the hearing, the prosecution argued to present the records of the case. However, the judge directed them to begin directly with their arguments.
Elahi’s lawyer Babar Awan, in his arguments, stated that Elahi was not nominated in the first information report (FIR) and had no role in the incident. “The police, too, did not conduct any investigation against him in this case. They could have submitted an interim challan within 17 days.”
The PTI leader’s counsel further added that the prosecution has no proof of Elahi’s presence at the scene of the incident or of his participation in a protest. “All the accused named in the said FIR are on bail,” Awan added.
Following Awan’s statements, Elahi’s lawyer Sardar Abdul Razzaq presented his arguments.
Razzaq, in defence of his client, claimed that Elahi was arrested in various cases but the prosecution has no evidence against him. “Chairman PTI, Asad Umar and other accused leaders also got bail.”
However, the prosecutor argued that Elahi provided financial support for the attack on the judicial complex and provided money through digital means.
The court inquired the prosecutor about their delayed nomination for Elahi’s arrest in the judicial complex riot case. “We nominated him when our informant told us about his participation,” argued the lawyer.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the ATC granted bail to Elahi.
Following his multiple arrests, Elahi stated that he had decided to file a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday to avoid arrests in any further cases. “Razzaq will file a plea shortly to avoid any further rearrests”.
The police and PTI workers got into a clash on March 18 amid party chairman Imran Khan’s appearance at the FJC in a hearing for the Toshakhana case.
On September 5, five months after the incident, Elahi was arrested in the federal judicial complex case hours after IHC had suspended his detention under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance and directed his release.
An ATC had granted the police a two-day physical remand of the former Punjab chief minister and later sent him to jail on 14-day judicial remand in the judicial complex attack case.
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