IHC grants bail to 23 activists held over sedition charges

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday granted post arrest bail to activists who were detained for protesting against the arrest of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Pashteen.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the plea and granted bail to 23 activists belonging to the PTM and the Awami Workers Party (AWP). During the hearing, Justice Minallah expressed his displeasure at the Islamabad police chief’s absence from the court. “We did not expect this from the government. You are the representative of the state here, it is the state’s job to protect its people,” Justice Minallah told the deputy commissioner concerned. “We will get to the bottom of this case. How could you question someone’s patriotism. Do you think constitutional courts will shut their eyes on a matter like this,” the chief justice remarked while giving the deputy commissioner a week’s time to consult the Islamabad inspector general of police (IGP) and come up with a report on the incident. The chief justice had sought an explanation from the capital police and the district administration on Saturday for invoking the offence of sedition against these protesters. The court had also ordered the Islamabad deputy commissioner and the police chief to produce the complete record related to the arrest of the activists on February 3.

The counsel for the petitioners—Ammar Rashid and others—contended before the chief justice that the case was registered against their clients with mala fide intention.The counsel also questioned the order issued by the additional district and sessions court dismissing the post arrest bail petitions of the detained activists.