Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesperson for Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, was granted protective bail by the Islamabad District and Sessions Court on Saturday.
Prior to Khokhar’s appearance in court today, roads leading to the court were blocked by police who made every attempt to arrest him.
Khokhar has been accused of creating obstacles in the way of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s arrest on June 10 in the fake accounts case. A first information report (FIR) was registered against Khokhar that day at the Margalla police station and was sealed.
“A false and baseless FIR was registered at the behest of the government,” said Khokhar whilst speaking to media after obtaining bail.
“Such machinations cannot detract us from our struggle against the government,” he added.
He said that the Imran Khan government had been “blinded by revenge and had crossed all limits whilst pursuing it”.
Later, while addressing a press conference, Khokhar said that the “government kept saying that they have nothing to do with any of this (Zardari’s arrest) but they do”.
“The government kept saying that this is accountability and not revenge, but this is revenge,” he exclaimed.
“They registered a case against me and sealed the FIR and I was not informed of its contents,” said Khokhar, adding that despite the magistrate’s orders, a copy was not provided to him by the police.
“An allegation of attempting to free Zardari has been levelled against me. The entire media stands witness that there was no such thing that took place.”
The PPP spokesperson said he wonders if he can be targeted in a “state operation” like this, then what will become of the common man.
He announced that he has decided to pen a letter to the chief justice — “who has taken a big stand against false testimonies and false cases” — requesting him to look into the “false FIR”.
This is not the first instance this year that a case was registered against the PPP spokesperson.
In March, Khokhar and PPP Islamabad chapter President Raja Shakeel were booked for rioting and attacking police officials during PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Zardari’s appearance before NAB Rawalpindi.
Khokhar was seen in one widely circulated video accosting a policeman and roughing him up before his supporters led him away.
A sessions court in Islamabad had granted him pre-arrest interim bailfollowing which Khokhar issued a statement saying that the cases registered against him and other party workers “were like medals”.
