An anti-terrorism court granted post-arrest bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub and Raja Basharat in a vandalism case on Friday. Ayub, the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, along with Basharat and three others, had been detained by Rawalpindi Police outside Adiala Jail the previous day.
The judge, Amjad Ali Shah, had directed the Saddar Superintendent of Police, Nabeel Ahmed Khokhar, to bring the five suspects to court by 7:30 pm the previous evening. When the police failed to comply, the judge issued a contempt notice to the Superintendent for missing the deadline and ordered the suspects to be produced at 9 am today.
Ayub, Basharat, and Ahmad Nasir Chattha face charges at Injra Police Station in Attock and Hassan Abdal Police Station. Raja Majid Daniyal and Malik Azeem were also arrested over a case at Dhamial Police Station.
These leaders are implicated in several cases stemming from the November 24 protest, facing allegations of arson, vandalism, obstruction of government operations, assault on police officers, and damage to public property.
Following his release, Ayub stated that he was held in “illegal detention” at Adiala jail’s police post and subsequently at Police Lines. “I was arrested under a false case, yet the court has now accepted my bail plea,” Ayub told reporters outside the courthouse. He also mentioned having protective bail from the Peshawar High Court, challenging the police’s authority to arrest him under its protection, which they could not justify.
Ayub attributed responsibility for his arrest to the Punjab police chief, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Attock district police officer, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He, along with other PTI leaders, continues to face numerous charges, including alleged terrorism and involvement in violent protests.
