PESHAWAR: Petition for transit bail filed by Leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Zartaj Gul has been approved by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday.

The Chief Justice of PHC Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, who came the court late night, conducted the hearing of transit bail plea as she refused to leave the premises of the court and expressed fear of arrest by the police as she awaited the hearing of her plea for transit bail.

The PHC CJP summoned CCPO and SSP Operation. Meanwhile mediapersons were banned from entering the limits of the court.

She became emotional and apologized for her alleged involvement in the May 9 riots during a press appearance at the Peshawar High Court.

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Gul, the former climate change minister from Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan, addressed journalists, apologizing for the riots that occurred after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023. During these protests, security installations were targeted and vandalized by demonstrators. Fearing arrest, she refused to leave the court premises until her bail plea was approved.

Additional police contingents, including six female officers, were reportedly deployed outside the court, with Ababeel Squad personnel patrolling the area.

Gul, expressing a sense of warfare rather than participation in general elections, urged her voters not to worry, assuring them of her steadfastness and fearlessness in adhering to her ideology. She expressed hope in the judiciary for delivering justice.

Gul revealed that her nomination papers were rejected by the election commission, citing an incident where election commission staff were allegedly taken hostage in DG Khan. She emphasized her innocence, stating that she only sought to exercise her right to contest polls and represent DG Khan.

Gul, who appeared before the court and claimed to have “surrendered,” appealed to the legal fraternity, PHC chief justice, and bar for justice. She requested them to order the police to refrain from arresting her and called on the legal community to uphold the rule of law.

Earlier, female police officers attempted to arrest Gul at the PHC’s bar room, but members of the Insaf Lawyers Forum resisted their efforts. The bar room was subsequently locked after media persons and police were asked to leave.

Zartaj Gul, along with 51 other PTI leaders, including Murad Saeed, Ali Amin Gandapur, Hammad Azhar, and Omar Ayub, faces charges related to the attack on Gujranwala Cantt on May 9. An anti-terrorism court had issued directives to seize the properties of these politicians in connection with the case.