Anti-terrorism court extends interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi in cases related to May 9

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 27 : An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Tuesday extended interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi till July 7 in three cases related to May 9, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported.

The ATC heard Qureshi's bail plea related to cases lodged against him at Sarwar Road, Gulberg and Race Course police stations. He is accused of involvement in vandalism at Jinnah House and Gulberg Plaza, according to the report.

Earlier, the ATC had granted interim bail to Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and restricted the police from arresting him. The court also instructed him to submit surety bonds worth Pakistani Rupees (PKR) for bail in each of the three cases, according to The Express Tribune reported.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing on Tuesday, Qureshi said that there is a race between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for the position of Pakistan's next Prime Minister, The Express Tribune reported. According to him, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maryam Nawaz are candidates for the position. He said, "There is a lot of talk about their meeting in Dubai these days."

PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that what's happening with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will become apparent in a day or two, The Express Tribune reported. He stressed that the people of Pakistan want to know whether anyone is concerned regarding the economic situation of Pakistan. He further said that his party is trying to talk about the future.

Earlier on June 20, an Islamabad district and sessions court dismissed the bail petitions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, and Asad Qaiser in connection with two separate cases related to May 9 violence, Dawn reported.

Judge Tahir Abbasi Supra took up the bail pleas of Umar and Qureshi today, along with that of another suspect, Khan Bahadur. During the hearing, the court order said, the counsel for the petitioners argued that his clients were "innocent" and "falsely involved" in this case on the "basis of a concocted story," the report said.

He contended that the case against them was a result of "mala fide" and an "ulterior motive on the part of the complainant and police", Dawn reported. On the other hand, public prosecutor Zahid Asif Chaudhry contested the counsel's arguments and sought the dismissal of bail pleas, the court order said.

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