Lahore, April 2022: The Supreme Court of Pakistan set aside bail cancelation order dated 09.08.2021 of Additional Session Judgement and order of Hon’ble Court in revision and ordered for release of Mr. MM Iqbal Hashmi on original bail, He was under arrest for allegedly sharing Ahmadiyya content in a WhatsApp group ‘Sindh Salamat’.
Mr. Hashmi, Mr. Shiraz Ahmad, and others were booked by Cyber Crimes Police Station Lahore on June 20, 2019, under FIR 88 under PPCs 295-A, 298-C, PECA-11 for allegedly creating the group ‘Sindh Salamat’ and sharing Ahmadiyya content in it.
Mr. Hashmi was arrested but was released on bail on August 24, 2019.
Mr. Shiraz Ahmad was arrested from his home on February 25, 2021.
One, Mr. Zahir Ahmad, Ahmadi from Lahore implicated in another religion-based case, was arrested from the jail on February 23, 2021, although he was not even named in this case.
The plea for bail of the accused mentioned above was rejected on March 30, 2021.
Judge Syed Ali Abbas ASJ Lahore ordered that the deadly section PPC 295-C be added to his charge sheet.
As a result, all three are incarcerated in Camp Jail, Lahore.
LHC heard the plea for bail and rejected it on January 12, 2022.
Iqbal Hashmi etc. case was initiated under PPC 295-A; however, with time, it is blown big with PPCs 295-C, and 295-B added to it that provide for the death penalty and imprisonment for life, respectively. Their bail plea was then made to the Supreme Court.
A three-member bench of SC was appointed to hear the appeal against the decision of the high court. Finally, the Supreme Court released Mr. Hashmi on April 27, 2022. The SC rejected the plea for bail of the other two accused.
