PESHAWAR: An antiterrorism court of the provincial capital on Monday granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader and former provincial minister Kamran Khan Bangash, who was arrested on the charges of firing gunshots on police and sheltering absconding former federal minister Murad Saeed here.
Mr Bangash was held by the Chamkani police station on Oct 20 and a case was registered against him under different provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and AntiTerrorism Act.
He was charged with harbouring a proclaimed offender (Murad Saeed).
The ATC sent him to jail last Saturday for 14 days judicial remand.
On Monday, Mr Bangash`s lawyers Ali Zaman and Sikandar Hayat Shah informed the court that the allegations against their client were trumped up.
They argued that the CCTV footage of the police raid didn`t show any attack on police personnel.
The lawyers also pointed out that neither police recovered any weapon from their client nor were any evidence ormarks of fired bullet available on record.
They said that since their client was a member of the PTI, he was being politically victimised. The public prosecutor opposed the bail petition saying two police personnel were injured in the firing incident involving Mr Bangash.
He added that an AK-47 was recovered from the accused.
Mr Bangash`s lawyer Ali Zaman told Dawn that his client was handed over to the Dera Ismail Khan police in another case registered against him earlier last week on charges ofinciting people against the state and law-enforcement agencies through social media messages.
He said that he was going to Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday to submit his client`s bail application.
The FIR registered at the cantonment police station has been lodged following the complaint of Ejaz Mehsud, a resident of Diyal Road, against Mr Bangash.
The FIR was lodged under sections 120-B and 153 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the cantonment police station.
