Lawyer: Pakistani court grants bail to human rights activist

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani court Monday granted bail to a civil rights activist and teacher more than two months after he was arrested on charges of terror financing and sedition, his lawyer said.

Lawyer Fazal Elahi said he was preparing the papers for Mohammad Ismail's release from jail. Ismail's daughter, Gulalai Ismail, tweeted that her father had been behind the bars for more than two months.

Mohammad Ismail was taken into custody in 2019 after authorities accused him, his wife and his daughter of financing terrorists. The family have denied the allegations.

The same year, Gulalai Ismail — also a rights activist — fled to the U.S. She sought asylum there to avoid harassment by Pakistani security forces because of her investigations into alleged human rights abuses by soldiers.

Although Mohammad Ismail was later freed, he was again arrested in February in the northwestern city of Peshawar.