By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday acquitted President Dr Arif Alvi and senior leaders of the ruling PTI, including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in the 2014 Parliament House attack case. Prime Minister Imran Khan had already been acquitted in the case in October 2020. Earlier this month, President Alvi appeared in the court alongside his counsel Babar Awan and submitted two separate applications — one for giving up his constitutional immunity and another seeking his acquittal for want of evidence under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code.
During a hearing on March 9, the ATC heard arguments of the prosecution that conceded that the FIR registered against the president was politically motivated.
Other PTI leaders who were acquitted today include Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Labour and Culture Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, Senator Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry and estranged members Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan, among others. The verdict was announced by Judge Mohammad Ali Warraich on President Alvi’s application as well as acquittal petitions filed by the PTI leaders.
The prosecution had not objected to the acquittal pleas.
Prosecution lawyers are appointed by and take ins¬t¬ructions from the sitting government. The then prosecution team under the PML-N government had fou¬ght the Parliament House attack case but with a new team under the PTI government, the situation had changed.
The ATC had last month reserved its verdict in the case.
On Aug 31, 2014, PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers marched towards the Parliament House and Prime Minister House and clashed with police deployed at Constitution Avenue. The protesters also attacked the PTV premises and briefly took control of the building.
As per the prosecution, three people were killed and 26 injured, while 60 were arrested. It had submitted 65 photographs, sticks, cutters, etc, to the court to establish its case. It also maintained the protest was not peaceful and the PTI leaders sought bail after three years.
Police had invoked the Anti-Terrorism Act against Prime Minister Imran, Alvi and leaders including Umar, Qureshi, Shafqat Mehmood and Raja Khurram Nawaz for inciting violence during the 2014 sit-in.
