Former AJK PM granted bail

ISLAMABAD: Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah has granted bail to former prime minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Tanvir Ilyas in a case pertaining to misuse of a diplomatic passport.

The court ordered Ilyas’s release against a bond of Rs 1 million here on Monday. Ilyas had been booked for using his diplomatic passport to travel to Saudi Arabia after leaving office. His counsel argued that the maximum punishment under the provisions recorded was three years. The passport has been returned so his client must be granted bail.

During the hearing, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) produced the case record. The FIA prosecutor opposed the court’s decision to grant bail. Ilyas had also been arrested on May 20 by the Islamabad Police in a family property dispute case. Sources said the former AJK PM was detained on charges of allegedly seizing a family property and involvement in a shooting incident. He has also been facing charges for trying to seize the central offices and important documents of the Centaurus Mall.