May 9 riots cases: ATC extends pre-arrest bail of Qureshi, Umar and Swati

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Monday extended the pre-arrest bail of PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Azam Swati in different May 9 riots cases till October 31.

Former federal minister Asad Umar appeared before the court, while Swati’s lawyer filed an application seeking one-time exemption from personal appearance.

Both former ministers sought pre-arrest bail in multiple cases including attacks on Corps Commander House, Askari Tower and the Shadman police station.

The court, however, sought arguments from the lawyers on the next hearing regarding the bail pleas of Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Corps Commander House and Askari Tower attack cases.

Earlier, a jail official presented jail warrant papers of Shah Mehmood Qureshi before the court.

He said the petitioner was in jail and could not be presented before the court for security reasons.

Qureshi had initially filed pre-arrest bail petitions, but they were dismissed after his arrest. Subsequently, his lawyers approached the Lahore High Court, which ordered the restoration of his bail applications, leading to the current proceedings in the ATC.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025