Court reserves verdict on PTI leaders' bail in Section 144 violation case

• PTI's Faisal Javed, Ali Nawaz appear in court. 
• Court reserves verdict after Babar Awan complete arguments. 
• Court orders prosecutor to present arguments before Nov 14. 

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court on Monday reserved the verdict on the bail petition of the PTI leaders in a terror case pertaining to the violation of Section 144 in Islamabad.

Lawyer Babar Awan appeared before the court at the outset of the hearing. He was joined by PTI leaders Faisal Javed Khan and Ali Nawaz Awan who were nominated in the case.

During the hearing, Awan said that the PTI leaders are accused of blocking the roads and chanting slogans against the government. He said that they are also accused of damaging the state's property and spreading fear by chanting slogans and attacking with sticks.

The lawyer added a case was filed against the PTI leaders for just standing on the road. He said that 37 cases have been filed in Islamabad so far with the same sections. 

At this, judge Raja Jawad Abbas said that ATCs have 15% of political cases. 

The court asked the prosecutor to present his arguments. To this, the prosecutor said that he does not have a record of the case. 

"I will present the arguments after I get the record," he added. 

The court ordered the prosecutor to present his arguments before November 14. 

The court reserved the decision after Awan completed his arguments and adjourned the hearing till November 14.

The case

An FIR was lodged against the former premier on August 24 after he announced nationwide rallies to show solidarity with his chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, over the claim that his party leader faced "sexual abuse" during detention in a sedition case.

Imran Khan and several PTI leaders, including Asad Umar, Murad Saeed, Fawad Chaudhary and Faisal Javed, are named in the case.

Sheikh Rasheed is also among the 17 people named in the FIR.

The FIR states that Imran Khan along with the party leaders violated Section 144. PTI leaders and their almost 1,000 supporters blocked the road at Imran Khan's behest, says the FIR.

Imran Khan and other PTI leaders used loudspeakers as well, it added.