ATC grants bail to Imran, Qureshi in protest, vandalism cases

ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad has granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the protest and vandalism cases.

Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain of the ATC approved the bail application on Monday, in exchange for bail bonds of Rs30000 each for both Khan and Qureshi in five cases, respectively. This comes after the court had previously rejected their pre-arrest bail applications on August 11.

During the proceedings, the prosecutor argued that the protests were deliberately staged and granting bail would be “extraordinary relief”. He then sought rejection of the bail applications. The judge asked if both the suspects were present at the protest scene. The prosecutor replied in the negative.

However, the court observed that bail had already been granted to other co-suspects in the cases. The court then approved bail in all five cases for both Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and granted relief in exchange for Rs30000 each.