11 granted bail in protest case

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday granted post-arrest bail to 11 suspects held in connection with protests over the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

In a separate case, the court extended the physical remand of five accused in the murder of a businessman in the federal capital.

ATC Judge Abual Hasanat Mohammad Zulqarnain approved the bail applications after completion of arguments from both sides. The court ordered release of the 11 accused against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each.

According to the prosecution, two cases had been registered against them under terrorism and other relevant provisions at the Secretariat and Aabpara police stations. They were taken into custody for their alleged involvement in the protests that turned violent.

Meanwhile, in a separate hearing, the same court extended the physical remand of five persons arrested in the murder case of businessman Amir Awan for 11 days.

The police produced the suspects before the court upon completion of their previous remand and sought further custody for interrogation. Prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain informed the court that the suspects had already undergone polygraph testing but further questioning was required to complete the investigation. He requested a 20-day remand.

After hearing arguments, the court granted an 11-day physical remand and directed the police to produce them again upon its expiry. The murder case of Amir Awan has been registered at the Shahzad Town police station.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026