ATC grants bail to Parvez Elahi in judicial complex vandalism case

ISLAMABAD – An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi on Friday in connection with a case related to an attack on the judicial complex in the federal capital.

ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain approved the bail request of the former Punjab chief minister, requiring a surety bond of Rs20,000.

Parvez Elahi’s arrest had occurred shortly after his release from National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody on September 1, despite a clear directive from the Lahore High Court (LHC) earlier that day prohibiting his arrest. The September 1 order reiterated similar instructions issued by the high court on July 13, 2023. Elahi had faced multiple arrests and detentions since the May 9 riots.

The police allege that the PTI president had sent individuals to Islamabad to participate in the vandalism of the judicial complex. They also claim he provided vehicles and batons for the same purpose. The request for physical remand was made to question him regarding unidentified individuals and vehicle recovery.

During the previous hearing, Judge Zulqarnain had rejected the prosecution’s request for a 10-day physical remand and instead sent the PTI leader to Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

In the recent hearing, Elahi’s lawyer, Sardar Abdul Razzaq, argued that his client’s name was added to the first information report (FIR) six months after its initial filing. Razzaq pointed out that other individuals, including PTI Chairman Imran Khan and party leader Asad Umar, had been granted bail in the same case, and he pleaded for his client to receive the same treatment.

However, the prosecution opposed the bail plea. Lawyer Babar Awan argued that Elahi was not named in the FIR and that nothing was recovered during the three-day physical remand. Awan emphasized that Parvez Elahi had been arrested based on suspicion.

In response, Prosecutor Raja Naveed noted that the FIR was registered under non-bailable provisions. The judge observed that Elahi was not named in the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) attack case and highlighted that nothing had been recovered during his physical remand.

After considering the arguments, the ATC judge approved Parvez Elahi’s bail application.

The judicial complex riots occurred on March 18 when PTI workers began throwing stones at authorities inside the Federal Judicial Complex during Imran Khan’s appearance before different courts. The situation resulted in injuries to 52 police and other assisting forces personnel, as well as damage to numerous vehicles. A terrorism case was registered against PTI workers for their involvement in vandalism during the incident, while a separate FIR was filed against PTI leaders, including Parvez Elahi, for alleged attacks on police and property damage.