TikToker Mr Patlo has secured protective bail from the Islamabad High Court in a case registered after a stampede at an event in Sialkot left two people dead and 17 others injured.
The Islamabad High Court barred police from arresting Mr Patlo until November 10 and directed him to appear before the relevant court by the same date.
Mr Patlo appeared before the court in a wheelchair alongside his lawyer, Barrister Qasim Nawaz Abbasi. He had filed a petition seeking protective bail through his legal counsel.
Meanwhile, police have arrested six suspects nominated in the case. The event’s permission letter has also surfaced, revealing no mention of any prize draw or lucky draw for distributing prizes.
A video statement by Mr Patlo has also emerged in which he described the incident as an accident and claimed he was innocent. Police had conducted raids at his residence and farmhouse to arrest him, but he could not be found.
According to reports, the stampede broke out after attendees were allowed to enter the venue through a single gate, leading to overcrowding and chaos.
Speaking to the media alongside his lawyer, Mr Patlo said he would have reached the court earlier but had suffered a dislocation of his disc.
He further claimed that he had been injured while playing cricket at the same ground shortly before the incident. According to him, people had carried him to the hospital following the injury.
Mr Patlo maintained that he was already at the hospital when the stampede occurred, denying responsibility for the incident that claimed two lives and left 17 others injured.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, with police continuing legal proceedings against those named in the case.
