Bushra gets interim bail in 13 D-Chowk protest cases

ISLAMABAD: Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Supra on Tuesday granted interim bail to Bushra Bibi in 13 cases related to the D-Chowk protest and restrained police from arresting her.

Bushra Bibi appeared in the court alongside her legal team, including Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, and filed pre-arrest bail applications in 13 cases.

During her conversation with the judge, she expressed distrust in the judicial system, highlighting her reservations. The judge reprimanded lawyer Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry for not adequately preparing the case files. “You should prepare the files and come to my court properly,” remarked judge Supra.

The lawyers requested that all interim bail applications be scheduled for February 7, to which the judge responded, “You claim February 7 is the date for other accused, yet no certificate has been provided.”

The court’s frustration surfaced when lawyer Qadeer Khawaja spoke, prompting the judge to say, “Learn to believe in the court system. If you have faith in the system, people will regain trust.”

Bushra Bibi also addressed the court, saying, “Trust has not been completely lost, but the justice system is struggling. If it collapses, society will collapse. I have appeared in your court before. After what has happened to the PTI founder and with us, faith in the law has diminished. I’ve witnessed judges falling ill, trembling, and even with blood pressure reaching 200, they still sentenced us. There is law in this country, but no justice.”

Judge Tahir Abbas Supra responded, “We all must work together for the betterment of country.” He then directed Bushra Bibi to cooperate with investigations in all cases against her. The court granted interim bail to Bushra Bibi in all 13 cases against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each and sought case records from the police.

The hearing was adjourned until February 7. The cases against Bushra Bibi include three registered at the Secretariat police station, two each at Margalla, Karachi Company, and Ramna police stations, and one each at Tarnol, Kohsar, Aabpara, and Khanna police stations. Additionally, the court granted interim bail to Bushra Bibi in a separate case related to a Rangers incident registered at the Ramna police station, also until February 7.