ATC acquits PM Imran in Parliament House attack case

Declares PAT chief Tahirul Qadri a fugitive; summons Qureshi, Khattak, Mehmood, Umar and others for indictment

ISLAMABAD:

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Imran Khan in the 2014 Parliament House attack case and declared Pakistan Awami Tehreek Chairman Tahirul Qadri a fugitive.

ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan while announcing the verdict of the case also acquitted PAT worker Mubashir Ali. It summoned Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood and Planning Minister Asad Umar for indictment on November 21.

Provincial ministers Aleem Khan and Shaukat Yousafzai as well as former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secretary general Jahangir Tareen have also been summoned at the next hearing.

The court also decided to halt proceedings against President Arif Alvi owing to the presidential immunity granted to him under Article 248 of the Constitution.

On Monday, Premier Imran had urged the court to acquit him as the prosecution was no longer interested in pursuing the case.

Through his lawyer Abdullah Babar Awan – son of Adviser to the PM on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan – the premier had informed the court that the “prosecution stands in favour of [his] acquittal”.

The application stated, “The prosecution is not interested in prosecuting the applicant [Imran Khan]. The learned prosecutor appearing for the other side is heard and 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.”

It further noted: “The applicant is maliciously implicated and dragged in this false case. Further proceedings shall cause harassment and political victimisation. Particularly, after the prosecution stands in favour of the acquittal of the applicant.”

According to the counsel, not a single witness of the prosecution had linked PM Imran with the offence, adding that there was no direct or indirect evidence available on record against him.

Awan noted that the case was politically motivated with no evidence, adding that there was no probability of conviction of the prime minister.

PM Imran, as well as other party leaders, including President Alvi, federal ministers Asad Umar, Qureshi and Mahmood, were booked by the police under the Anti-Terrorism Act after being accused of attacking the Parliament House during a sit-in staged by the PTI and PAT — under Dr Qadri — in Islamabad in August 2014.

During the sit-in, protesters beat up SSP Asmatullah Junejo at the Constitution Avenue when they attacked the Parliament House.

A case was then registered against Imran when he was not the prime minister, Qadri and others for their alleged involvement in torturing the SSP and five other police officers.

The ATC had acquitted the PTI chairman in the SSP attack case in September 2018.