PTI's three ex-lawmakers get bail in illegal appointments case.

PESHAWAR -- A special anti-corruption court has granted bail to three former lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, who were arrested by the anti-corruption establishment on the charge of making illegal appointments to government departments in Lower Dir district.

Senior special judge (anti-corruption) Babar Ali Khan accepted a joint bail petition of former lawmakers Shafiullah Khan, Mohammad Azam and Liaqat Ali on condition of furnishing two surety bonds of Rs80,000 each.

The ACE registered an FIR against the petitioners on Oct 10, 2023, insisting that they learned from reliable sources that the three former MPAs made illegal appointments to the education and local government departments during the PTI government with the connivance of officers concerned.

It added that those illegal appointments totalling 25 cost the exchequer Rs18.32 million.

Shafiullah, Azam, Liaqat filed joint petition with anti-graft court

Advocate Alam Khan Adenzai appeared for the petitioners and insisted that his clients were implicated in a politically-motivated fake case.

He added that as the petitioners declined to leave PTI and continued to support party chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan, the case in question was registered against them to victimise them.

The lawyer claimed that his clients were not 'staff appointing authorities' in those departments and had no connection with any departmental appointments.

The judge observed that the FIR declared that the matter took place in the year 2020-21 at an 'unknown time', it was reported on July 10, 2023, and the FIR was registered on Oct 10, 2023, clearly showing that there was a delay of almost two and a half years between the date of the event and that of the reporting of the matter.

He added that...