ISLAMABAD, November 30, 2024: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday granted bail to Senior journalist Matiullah Jan, with bail bonds set at Rs10,000.
Police produced the journalist beforeThe ATC judge Tahir Abbas Sipra and later during the he granted bail to Jan.
This ruling follows a decision by a two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday, which suspended the ATC’s earlier order to grant physical remand for Matiullah Jan and instead placed him under judicial remand in jail.
The IHC bench was headed by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
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Matiullah Jan, was arrested on Thursday. According to the FIR filed at Islamabad’s Margallah Police Station, police officers had attempted to stop Mati’s speeding vehicle, but he allegedly tried to run them over.
The vehicle was stopped using barriers, and police claimed that Mati was found in an intoxicated state, with methamphetamine (ice) discovered under his car seat.
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Mati’s legal team, including his lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, challenged the arrest, calling the charges baseless.
The journalist’s counsel argued in the IHC that the accusations against Mati were fabricated. Despite the ongoing legal process, the ATC granted bail, and Matiullah Jan will be released upon providing the required bail bonds.
