To the great dismay of television media houses and ‘journalists’ peddling sensationalism, Ayyan Ali has been granted bail by the Lahore High Court. The rampant objectification, misogyny – and blatant lies in the case of the conspiracy theorist, Mubashir Luqman – can finally stop, or at least be toned down. Furthermore, the decision seems to have focused on the merit of the case rather than the celebrity of the accused for the first time.
Bail is refused for suspects who the court feels will either flee or will further harm the society; and clearly Ayyan does not fall in either category. Placing her on the Exit Control List (ECL) and keeping in touch with her over the natural course of the investigation and the trial should be enough to eliminate risk of either. This argument that is corroborated by the fact the suspects on similar charges have been granted bail before and even suspects with a proven militant history – such as Zakiur-Rehman Lakhvi – can make bail. Her extended detention was merely a by-product of her fame and the law enforcement agencies’ desire to seem diligent to the public.
Surprisingly, Ayyan’s bail has been met with much undue elation. Many are hailing the decision as a sign that the trumped-up case against her is unravelling, and that eventually she will be exonerated. Ayyan Ali’s case may have become prominent for all the wrong reasons, but that does not mean the case itself is a trivial one. The murder of Chaudhry Ijaz, the custom official that appended the money, and the attack on Ayyan’s father means that the case has merit. It is clearly in the interest of the powerful(perhaps politically so) to make sure the truth does not reach the light of day. Despite her being granted bail the case must be competently and thoroughly investigated. The truth is all the more important now that there is a cloud of misinformation and speculation surrounding the case – which must be put to bed.