PTI moves court against PM, key ministers

Civil judge sends criminal complaint over march crackdown to sessions court

ISLAMABAD:

A Senior Civil Judge of Islamabad on Friday sent a criminal complaint against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his key cabinet ministers as well as senior police officials of the capital city to district and sessions judge for further proceedings on the matter.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lodged the private criminal complaint over the authorities' crackdown on the party's protest march - led by K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and PTI founder's wife Bushra Bibi - near the D-Chowk of the Red-Zone of the federal capital on November 26.

The complaint was lodged against Prime Minister Shehbaz, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Atta Tarar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, besides the inspector general, deputy inspector general and senior superintendent of the Islamabad police.

The case, filed on behalf of the PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, was taken up in the court of Senior Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah. For the complainant, lawyers Sardar Latif Khosa, Sardar Khurram Latif Khosa and Syed Iqbal Hussain Shah Gilani appeared in court.

They appealed to the judge to accept their complaint and summon the persons mentioned in their plea and issue non-bailable arrest warrants against them. They also presented a list of 38 PTI workers allegedly injured on November 26 and 139 allegedly missing PTI workers since then.

The complaint includes Gandapur as a witness. The judge reviewed the complaint and heard the initial arguments. He said that the complaint was not within the jurisdiction of the district therefore it was being sent to the court of the sessions judge.