In a major development, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry has been granted bail in the sedition case against him. PTI leaders are celebrating the verdict.
According to the details, Additional District and Sessions Judge Faizan Haider Gillani granted bail to the former information minister in a case registered against him for ‘threatening’ members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
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The court approved Fawad Chaudhry’s bail petition on the condition that he would not repeat any such words against a constitutional institution. The judge granted bail to the PTI leader against surety bonds worth Rs20,000.
الحمدللہ فواد چوہدری کی ضمانت منظور۔
— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) February 1, 2023
مبارکباد۔ فواد چوہدری کی ضمانت منظور ہو گئی۔ اللہ کا شکر ہے۔
— Dr. Shahbaz GiLL (@SHABAZGIL) February 1, 2023
فواد آیا سواد آیا.
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) February 1, 2023
Fawad Chaudhry arrested
In a surprise move, Fawad Chaudhry was arrested outside his residence in Lahore. Fawad Chaudhry’s arrest came an hour after he, along with scores of party workers, gathered outside PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore, claiming to avert the government’s alleged plan to arrest the party chief. Fawad Chaudhry also lashed out at the ECP.
Islamabad police confirmed the arrest, stating that Fawad Chaudhry tried to “incite violence against a constitutional institution” and “inflame the sentiments of the people”. According to the FIR, Fawad Chaudhry, in his speech outside Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore, warned the ECP, its members, and their families.
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The PTI leader has been booked under sections 153-A (promotion of enmity between groups), 506 (criminal intimidation), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and 124-A (sedition) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The arrest of Fawad Chaudhry sparked condemnations from across the country, especially after pictures of Fawad Chaudhry being escorted by the police with a cloth over his head and his hands in handcuffs went viral. PTI’s political rivals, including PML-N members, too condemned the arrest and expressed concern over they way Fawad Chaudhry was being treated.