The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has ordered the immediate release of all arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs, including Ahmad Chatta, after approving their bail applications.

Judge Abu al-Hasanat Muhammad Zulqernain presided over the case and granted bail for all MNAs against surety bonds of Rs 30,000 each. The court’s decision came despite arguments from Prosecutor Raja Naveed, who contended that the charges carried a minimum sentence of three years, and thus bail should not be granted. The court dismissed this argument and approved the bail applications.

When questioned by the judge about any recovered items from Ahmad Chatta and the other MNAs, Prosecutor Naveed confirmed that nothing had been recovered. Subsequently, the court ordered their release.

In related developments, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and other party members were arrested by Islamabad police with prior approval from NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. On Monday, PTI leaders Sher Afzal Marwat and Shoaib Shaheen were taken into custody, while MNAs Zain Qureshi and Sheikh Waqas Akram were arrested from inside the Parliament House.

Police also detained Owais Ahmed Chatha, Syed Shah Ahmed, Sunni Ittehad Council’s Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Yousaf Khan, Maulana Naseem Shah, and Ahmed Shah Khattak. Speaker NA Ayaz Sadiq had authorized the arrests outside the parliamentary premises following the submission of an FIR against the PTI lawmakers for violating SOPs during a public rally on September 8.

Additionally, three cases have been filed under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill in Islamabad, citing violations of the event’s NOC. The FIR lists 28 individuals, including PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali, Sher Afzal Marwat, Shoaib Shaheen, Omar Gul, Zartaj Gul, Aamir Mughal, Seemabia Tahir, and Raja Basharat.