Lahore: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) approved the bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr. Yasmin Rashid on Saturday. The ruling applies to a case involving the alleged arson of police vehicles in Mughalpura during the May 9 incidents.
Judge Manzar Ali Gull announced the verdict, requiring the former provincial minister to submit a surety bond of Rs 100,000 for her release.
The court clarified its reasoning for the decision. Judge Gull stated he approved the bail based on a relevant Lahore High Court verdict.
Specifically, he noted that the higher court previously granted bail to co-accused Ejaz Chaudhry. Furthermore, the court approved Umar Sarfaraz Cheema’s bail in the same case using the same legal grounds.
However, Dr. Rashid remains involved in other legal battles. The ATC adjourned hearings on her other bail petitions until November 25. These petitions relate to cases of torching police vehicles near Askari Towers and Jinnah House.
This bail approval comes despite a previous conviction. Last September, an ATC sentenced Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood Ur Rasheed, and Omar Sarfaraz Cheema to 10 years in prison in a separate May 9 case. That verdict concerned setting a Supreme Court Judge’s squad vehicle ablaze. The same court, however, released former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in that particular case.