Opposition leader Sheikh gets pre-arrest bail in terrorism case

KARACHI: A sessions court on Thursday granted interim pre-arrest bail to the Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh in a terrorism case for allegedly staging protest demonstrations against the siege and operation carried out to arrest their party chief Imran Khan in Lahore.

Police booked and arrested several leaders and workers of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for staging sit-ins across the metropolis against the tear gas shelling and baton charge by the law enforcers outside Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence on Monday.

Mr Sheikh moved an application before a district and sessions judge (Malir) seeking grant of the bail to avoid his arrest in a case lodged against him and others at the Sachal police station.

The opposition leader submitted that they had staged a peaceful protest against the alleged torture on his party’s workers in Lahore, but the Sindh police at the behest of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government had booked him, along with his workers, in a false case to subject them to the political victimisation.

The lawmaker said he wanted to surrender, but he apprehended his arrest at the hands of the police and pleaded before the court to grant him bail before arrest.

Without touching the merits of the case, the judge granted him interim pre-arrest bail subject to furnishing a surety of Rs10,000 till March 30. While fixing the matter on the next date for confirmation or otherwise of his interim bail, the judge told the legislator to cooperate with the police in investigation of the case.

A case was registered under the relevant sections of the laws at the Sachal police station on behalf of the state.

Earlier on Wednesday, the sessions courts had granted bail to PTI MPA Saeed Afridi and 21 workers, who were booked for staging sit-ins at Banaras Chowk, Hasan Square and Shah Latif Town.

However, MPA Shah Nawaz Jadoon, along with 11 PTI workers, was remanded in police custody by an antiterrorism court in an identical case pertaining to staging a sit-in on the Native Jetty Bridge.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023