Pakistani court grants bail to ex-senator Mushtaq Ahmad and 95 others
An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad, Pakistan, granted bail following their arrests to former senator Mushtaq Ahmad and 95 other people in a protest case linked to unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Dawn reports.
Court decision
The bail applications were heard by Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain. Ahmad and Raza Tahir were represented by lawyer Imran Shafiq. The court granted the other suspects bail against surety bonds of 5,500 Pakistani rupees each.
The prosecution was represented by state prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain Kayani. The other defendants were represented by Sardar Bushik, Zahid Bashir Dar and Amina Ali.
Case circumstances
An FIR — a first information report — was registered on July 31 at Islamabad's Shalimar police station under terrorism-related provisions. The document alleges that Ahmad led a crowd of around 400–500 people in Sector F-10.
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According to the FIR, the former senator is accused of making speeches through loudspeakers that the investigation described as “inciting,” forcing shops to close and chanting slogans against the “current state institutions.”
Police version
According to the FIR, on July 31 protesters led by Ahmad moved toward Sambal Road, intending to reach Main Jinnah Avenue Road and block roads. The district administration used a loudspeaker to demand that the gathering be dispersed because it was being held without permission for the event.
The document also states that at around 7:10 p.m., protesters blocked the main road near Shalimar Plaza and damaged a media DSNG vehicle and private cars. Police claim that participants threw stones, attacked law enforcement officers, took their crowd-control helmets and threatened them.
On August 3, Ahmad was handed over to police for three days of physical remand. The prosecution requested 30 days, citing the need to locate a vehicle and weapons that it says are connected to the case.
