Islamabad: A Review Petition lay before the honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) for grant of bail to five Ahmadis. A brief resume of their case is given below.
Mr. Rohan Ahmad, Malik Usman Ahmad and Hafiz Tariq Shehzad, etc. were booked on May 26, 2020 with FIR No. 29/2020 at Police Station FIA Cyber Crimes Wing, Lahore under PPCs 295-B, 298-C, 120-B, 109, 34 R/W 2016=PECA-11, Pakistan’s Cyber Crimes Department, Lahore that works under Federal Investigation Agency arrested Mr. Rohan Ahmad.
Malik Usman Ahmad and Hafiz Tariq Shehzad were arrested on 30.09.2020 on reporting to the FIA office.
Syed Ali Abbas, Addl. Session Judge Lahore added the blasphemy clause PPC 295-C to the charge sheet on June 29, 2021. Thus, they are now exposed to penalty of death.
The SC (Justice Mazahar Naqvi and Jamal Khan) rejected their post-arrest bail application on April 27, 2022.
Mr. Shiraz Ahmad etc. were booked by Cyber Crime Police Station Lahore on June 20, 2019 under FIR Nr. 88, under PPCs 295-A, 298-C, PECA-11, for allegedly creating a group “Sindh Salamat” and allegedly sharing Ahmadiyya content in it. He was arrested from Hafizabad on February 25, 2021. Subsequently the trial court added section 295-C of PPC to the said case. Malik Zaheer Ahmad was arrested on September 30, 2020 in a fabricated case under Section 298-C, 295-B, PECA-11 and 109. He was granted bail on February 23, 2021 and was expected to be released in four to five days after paper formalities. On February 27, when he was expected to be released from the Camp Jail, the Cyber Crime Wing Lahore arrested him under FIR Nr 88 as outlined in the above case, under PPCs 295-A, 298-C, PECA-11. He was not even formally nominated in the case.
On application of the opponents, Judge Syed Ali Abbas, added the Blasphemy section PPC 295-C to his charge sheet as well.
Justice Tariq Saleem of Lahore High Court rejected the bail application of Mr. Shiraz Ahmad and Malik Zaheer Ahmad on January 12, 2022.
The plea for release on bail of the above two accused was also rejected by the two-member bench of the Supreme Court (Justice Jamal Khan Mando Khel and Justice Mazahar Naqvi) on April 27, 2022.
Subsequently, a Review Petition was made to the Supreme Court. A three-member bench comprising Justices Mazahar Ali Naqvi, Aijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar was appointed to hear the case on February 14, 2023.On the request of the accused and their attorneys, the case was adjourned for a week.
This SC Bench held a hearing on February 22, 2023 and while rejecting the plea for bail, rejected the request for Review of the SC decision. The judges directed Lahore High Court to examine within two months whether the FIA is authorized to apply Sections PPCs 298-C, 295-B and 295-C to this case.
