Adjournment plea on Gill’s sedition case rejected

Shehbaz to be indicted on March 22 after his lawyer fails to appear before court

ISLAMABAD:

A local court in Islamabad rejected a plea to adjourn the proceedings of sedition case against PTI leader Shehbaz Gill until a decision on Arshad Sharif’s case in the Supreme Court was made and summoned the accused on March 22 for indictment.

Gill and Ammad Yousuf appeared before the court as Additional District and Sessions judge Tahir Abbas Sipra heard the case.

Special prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi requested the court to indict the accused the same day.

Gill maintained that his lawyer had met an accident and would not be able to appear before the court.

The PTI leader said that he wanted to make some requests, saying that his co-accused Arshad was forced to leave the country.

He said when Arshad left the country attempts were made to trace him, adding the senior journalist was killed in Kenya.

He said the Supreme Court had taken suo motu of the killing.

Gill said now the apex court had to see whether the case pertaining to Arshad’s killing was valid or not.

He requested the judge to adjourn the proceedings of the sedition case against him until a decision on Arshad’s case was made by the top court.

The special prosecutor argued that the Supreme Court had not stopped this court from trial.

Later, the court while rejecting the plea adjourned the hearing of the case and summoned the accused on March 22 for indictment.