The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court has rejected the interim bail applications of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central leader and former opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan in the Jinnah House, Askari Tower and other arson cases.
The court rejected the bails based on the petitioner’s non-appearance, while the request for one-day exemption from attendance was also rejected.
According to sources Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Manzar Ali Gul remarked during the hearing of the cases that when the petitioner does not appear himself, the right to bail cannot be availed.
Omar Ayub had earlier obtained interim bail in the above cases, however, he could not appear in court today, due to which the court declared his bails in all three cases null and void.
It may be recalled that the May 9 violent incidents, which included attacks on Jinnah House, Askari Tower and other important places, were the same incidents in which Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza, among others, were sentenced.
Following these court decisions, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified all the convicted leaders. Omar Ayub was removed from the post of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, while Shibli Faraz was dismissed from the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. The membership of other members of the standing committees was also terminated.
According to political analysts, this decision of the anti-terrorism court is a major setback for Omar Ayub and other PTI leaders on the legal and political front, which can not only cause unrest in the party ranks but also have a profound impact on the parliamentary role of the opposition.
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