PAKISTAN COURT GRANTS BAIL TO SHEIKH RASHEED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER MANHANDLING CASE
A local court in Rawalpindi on Saturday approved the bail of Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed in a case lodged against him by Murree police for manhandling a Pakistani law enforcement officer during his arrest, ARY News reported. Murree Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Zeeshan granted bail to Pakistan’s former Interior Minister Ahmed against surety bonds worth PKR 50,000, as per the news report.
The development comes a few days after a judicial magistrate and the district and session court did not approve Ahmed’s bail petitions in a case related to murder plot allegations against former Pakistan
President Asif Ali Zardari. Ahmed, who is a close ally of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently detained at the Adiala Jail on 14-day judicial remand in another
case lodged against him for his allegations against Asif Ali Zardari, according to an ARY News report. On 9 February, an Islamabad district and sessions court rejected a second
post-arrest bail plea filed by Ahmed after he challenged a judicial magistrate’s dismissal of his previous petition for bail, Dawn reported. On 2 February, the Islamabad police arrested Sheikh
Rasheed Ahmed for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the PPP leadership, as per the Dawn report. After his arrest, the court remanded him to police custody for two days. After completion of his physical remand, an Islamabad court on February 4 sent Ahmed on 14-day judicial remand in the case filed at the city’s Aabpara Police Station, as per the Dawn report. The judge rejected the police request for an extension of his physical remand. Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Supra presided over the hearing, as per the news report. Lawyers Sardar Abdul Raziq and Intizar Panjhota represented Ahmed in the court hearing. The same day, Ahmed had filed a post-arrest bail petition in the court, which was rejected on 6 February.