Protective bail granted to MNA Naseem Shah, Asad Qaiser

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday approved the protective bail applications of National Assembly former speaker and MNA Asad Qaiser and MNA Maulana Naseem Shah.

The court directed the authorities not to arrest the petitioners in any case until November 24.The two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ejaz Anwar heard Asad Qaiser’s case.

Alam Khan, representing Asad Qaiser, informed the court that during the last hearing, the court had granted protective bail, but the order was not reflected in writing. He requested the court to include the protective bail in its order.

The chief justice inquired from the deputy attorney general and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor about the number of cases pending against Asad Qaiser.The assistant attorney general informed the court that there were no cases filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or NAB.

Alam Khan requested the court to seek a report from Islamabad Police to ascertain if any cases were registered against Asad Qaiser in the federal capital.The chief justice directed the relevant officials to submit a report on any cases in Islamabad and subsequently approved the protective bail request.

Similarly, the bench also heard the protective bail application of MNA Naseem Shah.Alam Khan informed the court that cases had been registered against his client following the November 24 protests. He requested details of these cases.

The chief justice said that for cases filed in other provinces, the petitioner should approach the respective courts, while the PHC would only seek responses from Islamabad, NAB, and FIA. The court approved Naseem Shah’s protective bail and sought reports from the relevant authorities.