Supreme Court: PTI founder granted bail in 8 cases of May 9, ordered his release

The Supreme Court has granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in 8 cases of May 9.

A 3-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi heard the case.

Chief Justice Yahya Afridi delivered the oral verdict and granted bail to the PTI founder in 8 cases and ordered his release.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan said that the court has 2 questions for both of you, you must have read the Lahore High Court decision.

First question! Can a final finding be given in a bail case?

Second question! The Supreme Court granted bail to the accused on charges of conspiracy in the past, will the principle of continuity be applied to this case?

Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi said that the court’s observation in bail cases is always of an interim nature, judicial observation does not affect the trial, the Supreme Court has given guidelines regarding bail which are sometimes followed and sometimes not.

Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi read the Supreme Court’s decision regarding bail. The Special Prosecutor read the decision to grant bail in the Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry case in the court.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan remarked that the Supreme Court should read the decisions rejecting bail in conspiracy cases.

Justice Yahya Afridi, while talking to the Special Prosecutor, said that you talk about conspiracy in the case, is there any case in which there was a conspiracy and bail was rejected? Bail has been granted in all the conspiracy cases that have come to the Supreme Court recently, the Supreme Court has granted bail in 3 cases of similar allegations, prove your case is different from other conspiracy cases.

Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi said that there will be no evidence in cases where bail is granted in the Supreme Court regarding conspiracy, in the current case there is evidence related to conspiracy on social media.

Chief Justice Yahya Afridi asked whether you have evidence against the accused?

Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi said that there are WhatsApp messages, there are statements of 3 witnesses, there is a photogrammetric and voice matching test, the High Court had said to apply to the trial court regarding various tests, the trial court allowed the test to be taken but the accused in jail did not cooperate.

To which Chief Justice Yahya Afridi said that there will be legal consequences, why are you saying all this that is only going in your favor, do not take findings from the Supreme Court, the law will give you findings itself, let the evidence that is there remain in the trial court, I am saying again and again, do not go on findings, the Supreme Court is aware of the findings on bail issues, take findings from the trial court, the evidence will come in the trial court.

Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi said that the evidence is connecting with the accused.

Justice Hassan Azhar said that the accused’s pre-arrest bail was approved on May 14, was there any investigation during that time? Did he cooperate?

Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi said that the founder of PTI played a central role in all the cases.

Chief Justice Yahya Afridi said that if we go to the merits, Salman Safdar will also speak, if the Supreme Court gives an observation on the merits, the trial will be affected, my job was to warn you about the finding, the rest is up to you.

PTI founder Salman Safdar’s lawyer said that in 8 cases, a challan has not been filed against the PTI founder till date, bail applications have been rejected in 8 cases in the High Court, the PTI founder is nominated in 3 FIRs, and the PTI founder’s name is not in 5 FIRs.

It should be noted that the hearing could not be held yesterday due to the ill health of Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi and the court issued an order to re-hear the case today.

Bandits attack mosque in Nigeria, burn several people alive in villages, 50 people killed

Northwestern Nigeria has once again been gripped by horrific bloodshed, where armed bandits targeted a mosque and nearby villages, killing at least 50 people.

Several people were burned alive in the incident, while dozens of other worshippers were shot dead.

According to the international news agency, the incident took place on Tuesday, August 19, in the Ungwar Mantaw area of ​​Malum Fashi district of Katsina state, where a mosque was attacked during dawn prayers. Initially, a few deaths were reported, however, local residents and authorities have confirmed that the death toll has risen to 32.

According to resident Nora Musa, 9 people died on the spot, while many of the injured died later. Aminu Ibrahim, a member of the Katsina State House of Assembly, said that 30 people were killed in the attack on the mosque alone, while another 20 people were burned alive in nearby villages. The attackers also raided other settlements, burning houses and kidnapping several people.

The attack came at a time when local village guards retaliated by ambushing a group of bandits over the weekend. The guards, who had been patrolling the village from dusk to dawn, had gathered at the mosque to pray and rest for a while when the bandits suddenly attacked.

This wave of bandits has been going on in Nigeria for several years, with its roots in disputes between farmers and herdsmen over land and water. Over time, this conflict has developed into organized crime, which includes kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling, housebreaking and arson.