After spending 218 days behind bars, fashion designer and PTI supporter Khadija Shah was released on bail in Quetta on Thursday.
She has been behind bars since May 24, 2023, for her alleged involvement in the May 9 incidents in Lahore, particularly the attack on the Corps Commander's residence, Jinnah House.
Her release was ordered in Quetta on Thursday after the authorities failed to present any evidence linking her to the crimes she was accused of.
Balochistan police had taken custody of Shah and obtained transitory remand from Lahore earlier in the month after the court ordered her release.
On Thursday, she was due to appear in an anti-terror court where she faces charges of arson and vandalism at the Jinnah House.
However, her bail was approved after the police said there was insufficient evidence linking her to the alleged criminal activities.
Joy for some, but not all
Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra, in a post on social media site 'X' (formerly Twitter) in a post welcomed the news of Shah's release, noting that she has come out as a "towering symbol of the incredible courage, character and dignity that the women of Pakistan have, earning more respect and recognition than through all her work as a successful fashion designer."
However, he noted that there were still over a dozen women who were languishing in Lahore jail as political prisoners.
"Justice is long overdue for them," he said, adding, "We have to convert this dark period into an opportunity to make a more humane and a stronger Pakistan, and one that is governed by the rule of law and not the rule of fear."