The Punjab government on Monday challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC), bail granted by an anti-terrorism court to two accused involved in the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009 in Lahore. An anti-terrorism court on June 7 had granted bail to Mohsin and Ashfaq, both nominated in the attack. The bail was granted to the accused against surety bonds of Rs 0.1 million each.
In an appeal filed by the Punjab Prosecution Department, on orders of the government, bail of the accused has been challenged, terming it as a show of leniency towards the alleged terrorists who damaged the image of the country by attacking the guest team. The government requested the court to cancel the bail submitting that terrorists could not be given the relief of bail under the law and the situation prevailing in the country amid the War on Terror.
The petition stated that relief of bail given to the accused will send a wrong message to the cricket team, which was subjected to the attack and rest of the world. The petition said that there is a possibility that the accused will not appear before the court during trial and choose to become absconders fearing sentence by the court.
