Nehal Hashmi gets interim bail in threatening speech case

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday granted interim bail to former Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz loyalist Nehal Hashmi in a case related to his incendiary and threatening speech targeting the judges of the Supreme Court and the Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT), ARY News reported.

The judge approved bail for Hashmi against a surety of Rs200,000 and adjourned the hearing until July 21.

A video had emerged on social media featuring the PML-N senator addressing a gathering in which he warned opponents and those probing the Panama Papers allegations of dire consequences if they continued with the accountability of PM Nawaz Sharif and his family.

Earlier, a local court had transferred the case against Hashmi to ATC in the wake of a police report which stated that Hashmi’s speech attracted the Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act, 1999 for it was an attempt to create mayhem in the country.

Senator Hashmi had been booked in a case registered at the Bahadurabad police station for launching a bitter rant against the judiciary and the Panama JIT member for holding the prime minister’s family accountable.

The Supreme Court had taken a suo motu notice of the video showing Hashmi making threatening remarks against the judges and the Panama JIT and later indicted him in a contempt of court case.