The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the sentences of 10 individuals convicted in a case related to protests against the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan.
The court granted them bail and ordered their release on surety bonds of Rs25,000 each.
A division bench, comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan, issued the suspension order, overturning the sentences handed down by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on November 22, 2024. The ATC had sentenced the accused to a total of five years and 10 months in prison.
According to the FIR, the accused were charged with attacking police officers and setting fire to a police post in Faizabad. However, the IHC ruling highlighted that case records do not show that any of the accused were arrested from the crime scene.
The defense lawyer informed the court that the accused had already been acquitted of terrorism-related charges and were instead given lesser sentences. The appellants requested the suspension of their sentences, which was opposed by the prosecutor, who argued that the trial court had convicted them based on CTV footage and other evidence.
The charge sheet also revealed that five of the 10 convicts are Afghan citizens. The court ordered all accused to submit their original identity cards to the deputy registrar for verification of their nationality. In the case of Afghan citizens, their identity documents will remain with the deputy registrar.
Furthermore, the court directed all the appellants to appear before the court at every hearing as part of the bail conditions.
