The court approved the bail of over 120 PTI workers who were arrested during the protest and ordered their release. The decision was made by a bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif. The court stated there is no legal reason to keep the workers in custody.
The court also instructed the 120 workers to give an affidavit at the police station promising not to commit such actions again. The Acting Chief Justice also ordered that each worker submit a bail bond of 20,000 rupees and a surety.
It is important to note that during the PTI protest on November 26, the police arrested several workers, and the court was approached for their release.
The IHC decision came two weeks after the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) urged the government to immediately announce an independent, impartial inquiry into the PTI-led protest in Islamabad on Nov 26, 2024, involving the families of the alleged victims, the PTI and other political stakeholders.
The HRCP had released a fact-finding report about PTI-led protest in Islamabad on Nov 26 concluding that contrary to the federal government’s claims, the PTI-led protest in Islamabad on Nov 26, 2024 led to loss of life allegedly among the protesters as well as reported deaths among the security personnel.
A high-level fact-finding mission documented oral testimonies from state representatives, the PTI leadership, reporters on the ground and the families of seven people who were allegedly killed during the protest.
The mission was deeply concerned by allegations that the hospital administrations and police withheld the bodies of victims until their families agreed not to pursue any legal action. While the hospital administrations refused to speak with the fact-finding team, accounts from journalists and the families of alleged victims suggest that these hospitals may be concealing information.
The report had urged the government to immediately announce an independent, impartial inquiry into these events, involving the families of the alleged victims, the PTI and other political stakeholders. However, the IHC has now granted the political workers bail and ordered their immediate release.
