An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad granted bail on Friday to 153 people connected to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The suspects were involved in the party's protest in Islamabad on November 26, 2024, which was seen as a high-stakes demonstration by PTI.
The ATC judge stated that, based on the available evidence, it seemed that further investigation was needed to clarify the involvement of the accused individuals. The judge explained that this could only be determined after hearing the prosecution’s evidence.
The judge also noted that the prosecution had failed to present any evidence to convince the court that the accused would not follow the conditions of their bail. The suspects were granted bail after providing surety bonds worth Rs5,000 each. However, the court rejected the bail requests of 24 others who were named in the FIRs (First Information Reports).
Following the protest, many PTI workers were arrested, and multiple cases were filed against party leaders and their supporters. In his call for the November protest, PTI leader Imran Khan demanded the restoration of what he called PTI’s “stolen mandate,” the reversal of the 26th Amendment, and the release of political prisoners.
PTI claims that at least 13 of its workers were killed and 1,000 arrested during the crackdown. However, the government has denied using live ammunition, stating that four law enforcement officers, including three Rangers personnel and one policeman, were killed in the protest.
In addition, PTI has warned that it will start a civil disobedience campaign if its demands for the release of political prisoners and a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9, 2023, and the November 26 crackdown are not met.