Peshawar: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) released Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Mohammad Khan on Wednesday. He had been held because of the violence on May 9 under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960.
Khan’s bail request was put on hold by a two-person bench made up of Justice Iijaz Anwar and Justice Syed Mohammad Attique Shah.
During the hearing, Justice Anwar said that whoever holds a press conference gets freed and whoever doesn’t gets arrested again.
He asked, “How is it that such serious accusations can be thrown out with just a press conference?”
While announcing the decision, the court then told the authorities to let the former minister go. It also said that Khan had to put up Rs100,000 in bonds as security for his freedom.
A few other people who were taken under Section 3 of the MPO also had their cases heard by the court.
The former minister of state was first arrested in Islamabad on May 11. This was part of a crackdown on PTI leaders after the arrest of the party head sparked violent protests. He was caught, let go, and arrested again several times before the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police took him into custody.
Khan got a release order from the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on May 30. However, KP cops took him back from outside the Adiala Jail under the same law.
