An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday granted pre-arrest bail to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nephew Hassaan Niazi who was wanted by the Punjab police for his involvement in the deadly rioting at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) last week, a private TV channel reported.
Niazi, who was booked in an FIR filed by the Shadman police, filed for pre-arrest bail after police were unable to track him down over the past few days. The court restrained the police from arresting the prime minister’s nephew and ordered Niazi to cooperate with the investigators. Niazi was among more than 200 lawyers who had gone underground to avoid arrest. Police had conducted multiple raids to arrest him in the attack case but were unable to catch him.
Addressing a presser after obtaining bail, Niazi claimed that he was the first lawyer in the country who had expressed regret on Twitter over the attack on the hospital. He, however, demanded across-the-board accountability and said that he was unfairly singled out. He urged the media to play its role with responsibility.
“For the past seven to eight days, I have received abuse from across the world. I want to explain my viewpoint over the issue as I am answerable to the nation,” he said, adding that on the day of the attack he was at the PIC because it was a ‘peaceful’ protest and police had granted permission for it. “If it wasn’t a peaceful protest, the question is that why did the police not intercept it. I had come to participate in a peaceful protest as I hadn’t foreseen what would occur there,” he said. “Show me if I have torched the [police] vehicle, show me if I was holding a stick, show me if I have attacked the PIC, give me some proof if I have incited someone or led the crowd,” said a teary-eyed Niazi.
He claimed that he was targeted and singled out only because he was the nephew of the prime minister. He also criticised the media for highlighting his face while covering the issue as a result of which, he said, the entire world was hating him. “You people have tried to end my career,” he said while addressing reporters.
