KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) reserved on Monday its verdict on an application of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader and MNA Ali Wazir seeking post-arrest bail in a fourth and last case lodged against him in Karachi over alleged sedition.
Wazir has been in prison since his arrest on December 31, 2020, on charges of delivering incendiary speeches, inciting the public against the state and sedition. Four identical cases were registered against him and other party leaders at the Sohrab Goth, Shah Latif Town and Boat Basin police stations.
The MNA from South Waziristan has so far been granted bail in three cases. He would likely be released from jail if his bail is granted in the present case.The ATC-XII judge, conducting trial in a judicial complex inside the central jail, reserved the verdict on the lawmaker’s bail application after hearing arguments from the defence and prosecution sides.
The judge is expected to announce the verdict today (Tuesday), according to the applicant’s lawyer Abdul Qadir Khan.It is noteworthy that the verdict on the bail plea has been reserved for a second time as the same ATC had previously reserved the verdict on conclusion of the arguments by both sides last month but it could not be announced as the contract of the court’s presiding officer expired and a new judge had to hear the matter afresh.
