An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad granted bail to 250 individuals involved in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests held on November 26. The court’s decision, announced on Friday, came in connection with 13 cases filed across 10 police jurisdictions in the federal capital. Those granted bail were ordered to submit surety bonds of Rs 5,000 each.
However, the court rejected the bail applications of 150 other individuals linked to the same protests. Notably, 18 detainees associated with the Bani Gala case were granted post-arrest bail, while in a separate case registered at the Kohsar Police Station, all bail applications were denied.
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In cases from Shahzad Town and Noon Police Station, the court granted bail to nine and 17 individuals respectively, while rejecting one application in each case. Meanwhile, the Aabpara Police case saw 70 individuals securing bail, but 25 applications were dismissed. The Margalla Police case resulted in 13 bail grants, with two pleas rejected.
Bail decisions in two Secretariat police cases were mixed, with 120 individuals denied bail while 10 others were released. PTI members involved in protests from other police stations, such as I-9, Shams Colony, and Sihala, largely saw their bail applications approved.
PTI Pushes for Judicial Commission and Imran Khan’s Release in Talks
In a separate development, the second round of talks between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the government commenced, with PTI presenting two major demands. The party called for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the events surrounding the May 9 and November 26 protests, as well as the release of all political prisoners, including PTI’s founding chairman, Imran Khan.
A PTI delegation, including Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, arrived at the Parliament House to participate in the talks. The negotiations were chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, with key government figures such as Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah and Irfan Siddiqui also present.
PTI representatives stressed their demand for a thorough investigation into the protests and the immediate release of detained party members. Asad Qaiser acknowledged the complexity of the talks, suggesting that the negotiation process could be extended, though progress had been limited so far.
