After a dozen of hearings in Kharqhamar check post attack case [1], on 18 September Peshawar High Court’s Bannu bench accepted the bail pleas of MNA’s, Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar [see The News article below]. The MNAs have been asked to provide surety bonds worth Rs1 million each. They have been asked to report to police once a month. “The judge gave a verbal order and we are waiting for the written one,” said Latif Afridi, the lawyer representing the MNAs.

The two MNAs, who are leaders of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), were initially charged in an FIR registered at the Counter Terro­rism Department (CTD) police station, Bannu, on May 26 after the Kharqamar check post clash in North Waziristan, which had resulted in the deaths of 13 persons and injuries to several others. Wazir had been taken into custody the day of the attack, while Dawar surrendered himself to security forces a few days later. later the videos released on the social media confirmed that army check post was not attacked y the protesters instead Ali’s caravan was attacked with direct bullets from the back.

Separately, they were charged in the instant case registered on June 7 at the CTD police station, Bannu, after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded on a road in Doga Macha, North Waziristan, when an Army convoy was passing through the area. Both, Wazir and Dawar, were already in CTD custody at the time of the IED blast [see Dawn article below] . A Bannu anti-terrorism court last month had granted bail to the PTM leaders in the second case pertaining to the blast in Doga Macha.

PTUDC

• Asian Marxist Review, September 20, 2019:
http://www.marxistreview.asia/ali-wazir-and-mohsin-dawar-granted-bail/

 PTM MNAs Mohsin Dawar, Ali Wazir granted bail

BANNU: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) Bannu bench on Wednesday accepted the bail pleas of lawmakers Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar in the Kharqamar attack case.Justice Nasir Mehmood, who heard the bail applications of Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir in Bannu, asked the MNAs to report to police once a month. They will be released after legal formalities are completed. The MNAs have been asked to provide surety bonds worth Rs1 million each.

“The bench has given us conditional bail,” said Abdul Latif Afridi, the lawyer representing the MNAs, adding that the Anti-Terrorism Law allows a judge to impose certain conditions on admission to bail.

“The judge gave a verbal order and we are waiting for the written one,” Latif Afridi said. The two MNAs, who are leaders of the Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), were initially charged in an FIR registered at the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Police Station Bannu on May 26 after a clash between the PTM members and Army personnel near the Kharqamar check post in North Waziristan which had resulted in the deaths of 13 persons and injuries to several others.

Separately they were charged in the instant case registered on June 7 at the CTD Police Station Bannu after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded on a road in Doga Macha, North Waziristan, when an Army convoy was passing through the area. The blast had left four Army officials martyred.

The News

• https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/528625-ptm-mnas-mohsin-dawar-ali-wazir-granted-bail

 Bannu ATC accepts PTM MNAs’ bail request in one case, rejects it in another

A Bannu antiterrorism court on Saturday granted bail to incarcerated Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) MNAs Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar in one case, but rejected their plea for bail in another case.

The two MNAs — currently imprisoned in Haripur jail — have been nominated in two separate cases pertaining to Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks targeting security forces in North Waziristan.

One first information report (FIR) was registered by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Bannu against the PTM MNAs for allegedly attacking a security checkpost on May 26 in the Kharqamar area

According to the FIR, both MNAs along with their supporters “attacked the security post”.

The second FIR was registered by CTD Bannu following a June 7 IED attack near a security checkpost in Kharqamar, where an Army convoy was on routine patrol. The incident left three officers and a soldier martyred and four security personnel injured.

Both Wazir and Dawar were already in CTD custody at the time of the IED blast ─ they had been arrested following the May 26 Kharqamar checkpost attack. Wazir had been taken into custody the day of the attack, while Dawar surrendered himself to security forces a few days later.

The hearing on the request for bail in both cases was conducted by ATC judge Babar Ali Khan today, who via a short order granted the request for bail in the June 7 incident but rejected it for the May 26 case.

Senior prosecutor Fazal Noorani, Arif Bilal and Sardar Abdul Rauf made arguments on behalf of the state whereas the defendants were represented by a team led by Peshawar High Court Bar President Latif Afridi.

Tariq Afghan, a member of the PTM legal team, told DawnNewsTV that they argued before the court that their clients were innocent, adding that they also produced videos and other evidence.

“The videos of the Kharqamar incident clearly showed that they were unarmed and were allowed to enter the area,” he contended.

Afghan said that they will challenge the verdict in the high court.

Sirajuddin

• Dawn. Updated August 17, 2019:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1500023