SSP Junejo case: Proclamation proceedings initiated against Imran, Qadri

Two leaders are accused of being behind assault on former SSP during 2014 sit-ins

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) allowed an application filed by the Islamabad Police seeking initiation of proclamation proceedings against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri in the SSP Junejo attack case.

ATC Judge Sohail Ikram allowed the application of the Secretariat police after the SHO informed the court that the suspects could not be arrested despite obtaining arrest warrants.

With the court’s permission, the police will now initiate proceedings under Section 87 of the Criminal Procedure Code against Khan and Qadri as they have failed to appear before court.

Khan, Qadri and several others were booked over their alleged involvement in an attack on then-Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) of Islamabad Police Operations Asmatullah Junejo during the 2014 sit-ins in the capital.

Earlier, the police informed the ATC that execution of the arrest warrants issued against Khan and Qadri could not be executed as they were not found at listed residences.

The police had submitted a report before the ATC saying that a police party went to the residence of Khan in Bani Gala, where a security guard informed them that Khan was not at home and he did not know his whereabouts.

The court officials had revealed that a similar report was also submitted in connection with the execution of Qadri’s arrest warrants.

Previously, the ATC had issued warrants for Khan and Qadri with directions to the police to produce them before the court.

The SSP was brutally beaten up at the hands of protesters on Constitution Avenue. The incident took place on September 1, 2014, less than 24 hours into his first day on the job as operations SSP.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2016.