An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan granted bail to at least 153 workers of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, more than a month after they were arrested during a protest.
During a hearing, presided over by Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, petitions of 177 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers were heard.
Subsequently, bail was granted to 153 of them while the court rejected the pleas of 24 on Friday
Khan, 72, had on November 13 issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on November 26, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party members, and the reversal of the 26th constitutional amendment.
Responding to his call, thousands of PTI workers reached Islamabad but faced a crackdown by police, which forcibly dispersed them while arresting more than 1,400.
The court granted them bail against surety bonds of Rs 5,000 each.
Earlier, on January 3, the ATC granted bail to 250 protestors while on January 6, as many as 192 PTI workers, who were detained in Jhelum district jail, were released after their bail petitions were accepted by an ATC in Islamabad.
According to police, the cases of many other detained PTI workers were being processed and more bails could be granted in coming weeks.
Khan has been lodged at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since mid-2023 in multiple cases. The PTI has been at loggerheads with the federal government since the general elections in February 2024.
The November 26 protest was yet another attempt by his party over the last few months.
