An Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC)—a special court that hears terrorism-related and linked cases—on Thursday delivered a Bushra Bibi bail dismissal, rejecting her pre-arrest bail plea along with those of other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in protest-related cases. The court also rejected the Asad Qaiser bail plea and said the dismissals followed continued absence from court proceedings.
ATC Judge Abual Hasanat Muhammad Zulqarnain announced the decision while hearing pre-arrest bail applications of around 250 accused. The hearing took place in Islamabad on 29 October.
Why the pleas were dismissed
The court linked the Bushra Bibi bail dismissal and the other rejections to repeated non-appearance. Pre-arrest bail is temporary protection from arrest while a case is pending; the ATC said those named had not been presenting themselves as required.
Alongside Bushra Bibi and Asad Qaiser, the court dismissed the bail pleas of Junaid Akbar, Latif Khosa, Naeem Haider Panjutha, Ali Zaman, Iman Waseem, Atif Khan and Fazal Muhammad on the same ground.
Who appeared and what the court ordered next
The ATC treated those who did attend differently from those who stayed away. It extended interim bail for the accused who appeared before it.
Further proceedings were adjourned until 11 February. Until then, the dismissed pre-arrest applications remain rejected for the leaders named above, while those granted the extension keep interim protection subject to the court’s later orders.
Aasan alfaaz mein
ATC court ne Bushra Bibi aur Asad Qaiser ki pre-arrest bail kharij kar di hai. Wajah yeh hai ke woh bar bar court mein hazir nahi ho rahe the. Jin logon ne haziri di, un ki interim bail barha di gayi. Agli sunwai 11 February ko hogi.
