A special judge for customs, taxation, and anti-smuggling granted post-arrest bail to PIA air hostess Aasia Qurban in a foreign currency smuggling case.
Special Judge Yasin Shaheen noted in the written order that while the suspect is named in the FIR, further detention is unnecessary for the investigation.
The judge highlighted that the maximum sentence for the charges against Aasia Qurban is five years, which does not trigger the prohibitory clause for bail. He also noted that despite her 20-year career with PIA, she has no prior criminal record.
Referring to a 2016 Lahore High Court judgment in the Ayan Ali case, the judge emphasized that, given her clean record and gender, the air hostess deserves leniency.
The court bailed the air hostess Aasia Qurban, citing previous leniency in similar cases. The judge ordered her release on bail, provided she submitted surety bonds worth Rs. 500,000.
It should be recalled that last month, the air hostess was arrested at Allama Iqbal International Airport on Saturday for attempting to smuggle a significant amount of foreign currency.
Deputy Collector Customs Raja Bilal disclosed that $37,318 and 40,000 Saudi riyals were confiscated from the air hostess. She was offloaded and searched during a flight after suspicions arose, resulting in the discovery of the concealed currency.
There is no comparison between Ayan Ali and air hostess.
Ayan Ali was a professional smuggler working for the likes of Zardari.