SC dismisses plea to cancel bail of man accused of links with BLA

ISLAMABAD, Jul 29 (APP):The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Bilal, an accused in a case involving alleged links with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), while raising questions over the prosecution’s evidence connecting him to the outlawed group.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the case.

During the proceedings, the state counsel sought additional time to submit further documents, arguing that the prosecution intended to place on record evidence regarding the accused’s alleged connection with a suicide bomber.

Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan questioned how the prosecution had established Bilal’s alleged links with the BLA.

“The accused is a bank manager. How does transferring money for the purchase of a vehicle amount to a criminal offence?” the judge remarked.

He further observed that the bank manager had merely processed the transfer of funds and could not have known that the vehicle would allegedly be used in a bombing.

The bench also directed the state counsel to clarify the nature of Bilal’s alleged association with the banned organisation and to produce credible evidence supporting the claim.

According to the prosecution, the accused is facing charges in a case registered by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Karachi.

After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition seeking cancellation of the accused’s bail and disposed of the case.