A judicial magistrate in Lahore granted bail to the 58 PML-N workers who were arrested and later sent on judicial remand in connection with the clash with police outside the NAB office, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

They are accused of rioting and damaging public property when PML-N Vice-president Maryam Nawaz was supposed to appear before the NAB investigators the other day.

During the hearing, the officials from Chung Police Station presented their record before the court after the magistrate ordered them to do so as the defence counsel accused the police of using delaying tactics.

The defence counsel, Farhad Ali Shah, described the move of nominating the PML-N lawmakers in the case as injustice and said there was no mention of seizing arms in the FIR. The only thing recovered from them were mobile phones, he added.

Separately, PML-N MNA Malik Saif-ul-Malook Khokhar and four other obtained bail before arrest from the court of Additional Sessions Judge Shakeel Ahmed till August 27.

They had moved the court, saying nominating them in the case was politically-motivated act and feared that they would soon be arrested. 

The police had lodged an FIR against Maryam, Capt Safdar, Rana Tanveer and others after the clash on Tuesday. Later, the PML-N too had filed an application but the police didn’t file any case on their behalf.

As a result, the party moved a local court Wednesday with a request that the police should be directed to register an FIR, as it was an assassination attempt on the life of Maryam. Prime Minister Imran Khan, NAB Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, Shahzad Akbar and others have been nominated in the application. 

On Wednesday, the arrested PML-N workers were presented before a court which granted a 14-day judicial remand and sent them to prison.

Later, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif blasted the PTI government for first torturing and then presenting the arrested party workers and leaders handcuffed before a court in Lahore, saying it was a proof of the rulers’ fascism and political victimisation.

Similarly, Maryam shared the images of some of the arrested party workers in her tweets and said she saluted them for acting as a shield for her when stones were thrown at her.

They faced baton charge and are facing imprisonment, she said and added that they were first tortured and then got arrested too. “They [the government] would have to give answer about this repression and lawlessness,” Maryam remarked.