Court extends interim bail: PPP leaders vow to continue struggle against PTI corruption in KP

PESHAWAR: Additional District and Sessions Judge Asmatullah Wazir on Saturday extended the interim bail of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) central secretary general Humayun Khan and provincial president Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha until June 23 in a case related to staging a protest on Khyber Road and setting fire to a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest camp.

During the hearing, the petitioners’ counsels Gohar Rehman Khattak and Lajbar Khan told the court that their clients were affiliated with a political party and were booked simply for protesting against the provincial government.

The lawyers maintained that their clients were peaceful citizens and that peaceful protest was a fundamental right. They pleaded that the police resorted to baton-charge and teargas shelling during the protest, and have now filed cases against the protesters. The court extended the interim bail of the applicants until June 23.

After the hearing, Humayun Khan told reporters that the PPP had always represented the people. He criticized the PTI for repeatedly storming Islamabad and causing damage to public property, yet claiming the right to protest when cases were filed against them.

He added that after the elections, PPP had invited PTI to form the government and had supported the PML-N for the sake of democracy, without compromising on public interests. He clarified that PPP was not part of the federal cabinet and remained a people’s party.

Muhammad Ali Bacha also said that the protest was a peaceful demonstration against corruption in the provincial government.

He criticized the provincial administration for using baton-charge and teargas against peaceful protesters. Bacha vowed to expose the corruption of the provincial government at every forum, saying that even the Speaker has admitted to Rs700 billion worth of corruption. He accused PTI of being involved in corruption for the past 15 years.

The PPP leader remarked that it’s a sign of the end times when the KP chief minister says one thing in private, another at public rallies, and something else entirely in parliamentary committees.

He reiterated that the PPP’s protest against corruption will not end and that their anti-corruption movement will be expanded further.