Islamabad ATC acquits President Alvi, PTI, PAT leaders & workers in PTV, Parliament House attack case
ISLAMABAD, Mar 15 (SABAH): An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday acquitted President Dr. Arif Alvi in the PTV and Parliament attack case along with Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Defence Minister Pervez Khan Khattak, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, Sardar Jehnagir Khan Tareen, Abdul Aleem Khan, KP Minister Shaukat Yousufzai and Khurram Nawaz Gandapur. Nearly 60 leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have been acquitted by the court.
ATC Islamabad judge Mohammad Ali Warraich announced the ruling on Tuesday, which was reserved few days ago.
Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday acquitted President Arif Alvi and other accused in connection with a case pertaining to attack on the Parliament and Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).
President Dr. Arif Alvi, Asad Umar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Shafqat Mehmood and several other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders were facing trial for allegedly attacking PTV building and Parliament House during 2014 sit-in. All the leaders had submitted acquittal pleas in the ATC.
However, ATC had already acquitted Prime Minister Imran Khan in this case. Meanwhile PAT Chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri has been declared proclaimed offender in the case due to non-appearance before the court.
The acquittal petition which was filed by 11 accused stated that they were booked in this case under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 for registering protest against the previous regime.
They stated that opposition parties are now conducting same anti-government protests but the government has not registered FIRs against them.
Earlier this month, President Dr. Arif Alvi appeared in the court alongside his counsel Dr. 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 on Tuesday, include Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Labour and Culture Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, Senator Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Senator Saifullah Sarwar Nayazi and estranged members Jahangir Tareen and Abdul 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.
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.
SSP Asmatullah Junejo attack case was filed after the 2014 sit-ins in which ATC had acquitted the PTI chairperson, Imran Khan, in 2018. During the previous proceedings, the prime minister’s counsel Abdullah Political leaders and over a hundred workers and supporters were also booked in the cases. The workers who were arrested were later released on bail.