court extends bail of PTI leaders in Ali Bilal’s death case,

LAHORE – The Lahore High Court on Thursday ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to recover and produce PTI social media activist Azhar Mashwani who has been missing for more than a week in court on April 3.

Justice Aalia Neelum issued the order on a habeas corpus petition filed by Mashwani’s brother Mazharul Hassan.

Petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique told the court that Mashwani was kidnapped from outside his Township residence on March 23 and since then his whereabouts were not known. Mashwani is a law-abiding citizen and entitled to the fundamental rights including the right of individuals to be dealt with in accordance with law in respect of liberty and security of a person, the counsel submitted.

The counsel alleged that police and the FIA were being used as a tool of the federal and provincial governments against the petitioner’s brother. He said the Green Town police registered an abduction case on a session’s court order. However, no progress has so far been made.

He submitted that if he was not recovered from the ‘illegal and unlawful detention’ of the respondents, the petitioner and his detained brother would suffer irreparable loss and injury. The counsel requested the court to get the brother of the petitioner recovered from the alleged illegal custody of the FIA and set him free.

The inspector general of Punjab police and the Green Town SHO have also been made parties to the petition.

Earlier,

A district and sessions court in the Punjab capital approved extension in interim bails of several leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a case regarding the death of PTI worker Ali Bilal alias Zille Shah.

Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Bilal Baig has extended the bail of Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mahmoodur Rashid and other PTI leaders who also appeared in the court till April 13. He also approved the pleas filed by Farrukh Habib and Fawad Chaudhry seeking one-day exemption from appearance in the case.

The judge has granted the bail to the PTI bigwigs against surety bonds worth Rs100,000 each.

During the hearing, the PTI leaders contended that they had been booked in a baseless case. “We are not joining the investigation out of fear of being arrested,” they said while pleading the court for extension in their interim bails.

However, the prosecutor argued that the case was registered against the leaders of Imran Khan’s party for concealing the facts related to the death of the PTI worker.

After hearing the arguments, the judge extended their bails till April 13.