PHC extends protective bail of PTI leader

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Monday extended the protective bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Javed until April 15.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Sabitullah Khan while hearing the petition filed for details of the cases against the petitioner also issued a notice to the federal government to submit a reply about the blocking of the petitioner’s passport by March 17.

The petitioner’ s lawyer Alam Khan Adenzai informed the court that during the last hearing, the court had granted protective bail, but the order mentioned March 15 instead of April 15.He said that Faisal Javed was going for Umrah and that the order explicitly mentioned bail until his return from Umrah. Justice Wiqar Ahmad responded that if that was the case, then there was no issue, and the protective bail was extended until April 15.

The deputy attorney general assured the court that the government was complying with court orders and not arresting him.Similarly, the bench also heard Faisal Javed’s petition to remove his name from the passport control list.

During the hearing, Justice Wiqar Ahmad asked the DAG if a response had been submitted in this case. The DAG said that they had submitted their response. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that Faisal Javed wanted to go for Umrah and had a flight scheduled for today. He also cited court rulings saying that individuals could not be barred from travelling abroad based solely on first information reports (FIRs).

The DAG said that the government had provided details of the cases to Faisal Javed two months ago, but he had not appeared in court for those cases. Faisal Javed then informed the bench that he had been granted protective bail by the court, that he wanted to travel for Umrah, and that he had already booked a flight. He also mentioned that he had been acquitted in the cases against him. The court subsequently issued a notice to the federal government and requested a report by March 17.

Later, talking to reporters, Faisal Javed expressed his disappointment, saying that he was being prevented from travelling for Umrah.He said that he was going for a week and would return to Pakistan. He said that he was appearing in court for all the cases filed against him and had already been acquitted in several cases. He added that he was currently on bail in the remaining cases.

Faisal Javed further criticized the government for first placing his name on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) and now including it in the Passport Control List (PCL). He claimed that his only crime was participating in protests, which was a constitutional right.

He accused the government of being capable of anything but asserted that the public stood with the PTI founder. He also welcomed the idea of a “Grand Opposition” and expressed hope that all opposition parties would join forces. He emphasized that unity among opposition parties was necessary for democracy and the rule of law, adding that even those reluctant to join would eventually become part of the grand opposition.