LAHORE: Pre-arrest bails of eight Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Punjab Assembly members, and four officials of the assembly secretariat, have been confirmed on Tuesday in the Punjab Assembly brawl case.
The accused had allegedly attacked former acting PA speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari, affecting the assembly’s proceedings, damaging equipment and creating chaos on April 16.
The said session was fixed for the election of Punjab’s chief minister.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Yaseen Mohal heard the petitions and dismissed the pre-arrest bail of accused MPA Malik Nadeem Abbas Bara who was not present during the court’s proceedings.
The judge, however, confirmed the bails of MPAs Muhammad Rizwan, Ali Raza, Amar Yasir, Shehbaz Ahmad, Mahindar Singh and others. From the PA secretariat, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, Anayat Ullah Lak, Amir Habib and Akbar Nasir were granted bail.
The counsel for the accused implored the court that the aforementioned MPAs were innocent with FIRs lodged to humiliate them. The counsellor added that a ‘conspiracy’ was hatched by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and executed through former deputy speaker Mazari.
The counsel also contended that police officials were called into assembly chambers and the PTI and PML-Q’s representatives were removed.
“They were restrained from taking part in the election. False allegations had been levelled against them and a concocted story had been woven against the MPAs, ” he added.
However, the law officer told the court that the accused persons were involved in creating anarchy in the assembly on election day. He added that the former deputy speaker Mazari was attacked while “the whole nation watched the episode on their television screens.”
The prosecutor claimed that the assembly’s administration was under control of the former PTI government.
While the petitioner’s stance was strongly opposed with a request to dismiss their bail petitions, the judge after hearing detailed arguments first reserved and then announced the decision to confirm bail.