Court reserves verdict on ministers’ acquittal pleas in PTV attack case
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An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Thursday reserved its verdict on the acquittal pleas filed by the accused, including some federal ministers, in PTV and parliament attack case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The court will now pronounce the decision on March 9.
Chances of the acquittal of federal ministers namely Pervez Khattak, Asad Umar, Shafqat Mehmood, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Khan Tareen, Saifullah Niazi and Ejaz Chaudhry, and four other accused became brighter after the prosecution threw its weight behind their pleas.
Prosecutor Fakhira Sultan said that she had no objection to the acquittal of all 11 accused.
On the occasion, ‘estranged’ Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen also filed an application for exemption from court appearances.
Reading out the text of the FIR registered against the government ministers, who at the time of the attack, were PTI leaders, counsel for the party said that it was alleged that these ministers along with the PTI workers tried to occupy the parliament; that they damaged the public property; that they were carrying sticks and rods in their hands. “Truth of the matter is that none of these accused had anything in their hands which could give credence to the charge levelled against them,” he said, and added, “Now when the chief accused in the case has already been acquitted, it is prayed to the court to also order the acquittal of the remaining accused.”
He reminded the court that both PTI and Allama Tahirul Qadri-led Pakistan Awami Tehreek had lost two of their workers.
It is worth-mentioning here that Prime Minister Imran Khan has already been given a clean chit by the court.
On September 1, 2014, hundreds of people, allegedly supporting the PTI and the PAT, had ransacked the PTV headquarters and the Parliament premises, and brutally beaten up the SSP Operations.
Reporter Ihtesham Kiani