PHC grants Umar, Qureshi, Qaiser transitory bail in May 9 cases

• Shah Mahmood Qureshi says police stopped them from going to IHC. 
• Says PHC allowed them to appear before the IHC on Friday. 
• IHC grants central leaders more time to appear before it. 

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday granted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Qaiser and Asad Umar transitory bail in cases related to the May 9 riots. 

Speaking to the media persons, Qureshi — who is the PTI's vice-chairman — said that he went to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) with Umar at the appointed time but they were stopped by the police.

The PTI leaders had gone to the court seeking bail in a case filed against them at the Tarnol Police Station in the federal capital.

"We could not convince the police to let us appear before the court. We did not like their intentions, hence, we decided to go to the Peshawar High Court," Qureshi said. 

He added that the PHC granted them transitory bail and allowed them to appear before the IHC on Friday (tomorrow). 

Meanwhile, the IHC granted Qureshi and Umar more time to present themselves before it tomorrow for their bail pleas. 

IHC Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir heard the bail applications of Qureshi and Umar in cases registered against them at Islamabad's Tarnol Police Station in connection with the May 9 violent protests.

Ali Bukhari — who is the lawyer of both party members — said that they had come to the court at 7:30am but the police prevented them to enter the premises. 

"The police also closed the doors of the high court after which Asad Umar and Shah Mahmood Qureshi left. The court can also check the CCTV footage," the lawyer told the judge. 

The court adjourned the hearing and accepted Advocate Bukhari's request seeking more time for Qureshi and Umar to appear before the court till tomorrow. 

Sessions court rejects bail pleas 

On June 20, dramatic scenes were witnessed in the district and sessions court in Islamabad as the central leaders of PTI — Qureshi, Qaiser and Umar — slipped from the courtroom after their pleas seeking bail in cases related to the May 9 riots were dismissed. 

Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Supra while pronouncing the verdict dismissed the bail petitions of the PTI leaders.

The PTI leaders reached the court separately. In a bid to avoid arrest and make sure of their successful escape, Qureshi and Umar heard the verdicts while standing at the doorstep of the courtroom. As soon as the judge rejected their bail pleas, the duo hurriedly moved to the same vehicle and managed to run away from the scene.

Qaiser, however, left the courtroom moments before the judge pronounced the verdict which was reserved earlier.

It is pertinent to mention here that PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 and subsequent violent protests, during which unruly supporters and workers stormed and torched state installations almost across the country, unleashed a mass exodus of leaders from the former ruling party.

The nearly three-day-long protests also claimed at least 8 lives and injured dozens of others with the incumbent coalition government suspending internet services and deploying army troops to maintain law and order situation.

Following the unprecedented attacks on defence and public properties, the crackdown was launched on the PTI to detain the suspect involved in the vandalism with the country’s top civil-military leadership vowing to try rioters under relevant laws of the country including the Army Act.