ISLAMABAD: Aana Ali Sheikh, the daughter of Sheikh Danish Ali, who is the prime accused in the Faisalabad woman torture case, has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek protective bail.
According to the details, Sheikh Danish and six others, including a woman, were arrested after a video surfaced on social media showing a young woman being beaten and humiliated by some people, who also forced her to lick shoes.
The victim was identified as a classmate of Ana Ali and it was claimed that the shoes she was forced to lick belonged to Ana.
In her petition at the Islamabad High Court, Ana Ali — in her twenties — said that she feared being arrested by the police although she was too young and was not present at the scene where the incident was recorded.
She said that her name was added to the FIRs and due to external pressure.
“It is a recognized principle that anyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” she said adding that she was seeking protective bail to appear before the concerned court hearing the case in Faisalabad.
IHC’s Acting Chief Justice Amir Farooq heard the petition and said that the girl looked too young. “What is this whole problem? You have brought the girl to Islamabad only for protective bail?” the justice asked Ana’s counsel.
The judge told the lawyer that he was “overdoing it” to defeat the system. Why was every person involved in the case suddenly found in Islamabad? questioned Justice Amir Farooq.
The lawyer said his client’s mother was in Islamabad. He also revealed that Ana’s mother she had separated from her husband.
The judge said the Islamabad address on the petition was handwritten while the current and permanent addresses were in Faisalabad.
The court grilled Ana Ali about her address and asked how long had she been living in the federal capital and whether she was enrolled in any educational institution in the city.
The court told her to provide proof of her residence in Islamabad by Monday.
At one point, the judge reprimanded Ana Ali and her counsel as they engaged in conversion in the courtroom.
Ana Ali appeared before the court wearing a burqa and hiding her face behind a surgical mask.
