-Qureshi, Asad, Tareen summoned
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Islamabad on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Imran Khan in the 2014 Parliament House attack case.
Judge Raja Jawad Abbas announced this verdict on an application seeking acquittal of Prime Minister Khan. The court directed Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Planning Minister Asad Umar, PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, Shaukat Yousafzai and others to appear before it on November 12 when, the judge said, it will frame charges against them.
The case pertains to violence that took place during the 2014 sit-in jointly organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) against alleged rigging in 2013 general elections.
PM Khan, President Arif Alvi, Planning Minister Asad Umar, FM Qureshi and other PTI leaders were named in the case registered under sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). They were all accused of inciting violence during the sit-in in the federal capital. The ATC had granted the prime minister permanent exemption from personal appearance in the trial proceedings of the case while suspended the proceedings against Alvi due to the constitutional immunity he enjoys as president.
On October 26, the premier’s lawyer Abdullah Babar Awan submitted written arguments in the case stating that not a single witness of the prosecution had testified against the prime minister and there was no direct or indirect evidence available on record against him. He said the case in hand was politically motivated with no evidence, ruling out the probability of the conviction of PM Khan.
Prime Minister Monday urged an anti-terrorism court (ATC) to acquit him in the Parliament House attack case as the prosecution is no more interested in pursuing it. Through his lawyer, Abdullah Babar Awan, the son of Adviser to the PM on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan, Mr Khan informed the court that the “prosecution stands in favour of (his) acquittal”.
Prosecution lawyers are appointed by and take instructions from the sitting government. The then prosecution team under the PML-N government had fought the Parliament House attack case but with a new team under the PTI government, the situation has changed. The anti-terrorism court is likely to announce a decision on the application seeking acquittal of Prime Minister Khan on Oct 29.
The application stated that “the prosecution is not interested to prosecute the applicant (Imran Khan). The learned prosecutor candidly conceded that in this false case the charge against the petitioner is groundless and there is no probability of the conviction and therefore, the learned prosecutor agreed that this is a fit case for acquittal.”
