LAHORE:
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday rejected the pre-arrest bail requests of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Asad Umar in connection with the May 9 riots that erupted following the arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan.
During the hearing, Qureshi neither appeared before the court nor had legal representation, leading the judge to dismiss his bail petitions in two cases related to the May 9 unrest.
In Asad Umarβs case, his lawyer filed a request for a one-day exemption from personal appearance, citing his client’s illness. However, the judge expressed dissatisfaction over repeated absences, emphasizing that such behavior was unacceptable.
The court noted that Umar had also failed to attend previous hearings, making him ineligible for any relief.
After briefly reserving the decision, the judge announced the rejection of both leaders’ bail applications.
