ATC convicts 82 PTI workers for rioting

Judge sets off detention period as time served

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RAWALPINDI:

A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday, convicted 82 accused, involved in riots during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad on November 24 and 26, last year, but ordered their release by setting off their pre-conviction detention period against their sentence.

Special ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah, dropped the terrorism charges against the 82 convicts following their confession to the crimes, and discharged all the 24 cases registered against them.

However, the court issued arrest warrants for more than 1,000 accused, who skipped the hearing.

The court had summoned a total of 1,609 accused in the 24 cases of rioting, vandalism, arson, protest and road blocking in the D-Chowk of the federal capital on November 24 and 26, 2024 during the PTI protest.

Of these cases, 15 were registered in Attock district and nine in Rawalpindi district.

A total of 568 accused appeared in the court.

At the outset of the hearing, the prosecution offered all the accused that it they confessed to the crimes, they would be released after their detention would be taken as their jail term.

On that 82 PTI workers accepted this offer and confessed. The judge convicted the men, ordering that the time spent in jail by these workers would be considered as the sentence. They were also acquitted of terrorism.

Fines of Rs2,000 each were imposed against those involved in injuring the police.

However, the workers who refused to confess were formally charged and the court summoned the witnesses against them.

To avoid the rush in the courtroom, the court set three days of hearing on May 7, 8, and 9. On each day, eight cases would be heard.

For the remaining more than 1,000 absentees, the court cancelled their bail and issued their arrest warrants. As per the law, their computerised National Identity Card were blocked and their bank accounts had been frozen.

SC bail

The Supreme Court on Friday granted pre-arrest bail to PTI leader Hafiz Farhat Abbas and approved the bail of party Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, in cases related to the violent protests on May 9, 2023.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the cases. On the plea of Abbas, the petitioner's lawyer informed the court that the pre-arrest bail of co-accused Imtiaz Sheikh had also been approved by the apex court.

The special prosecutor argued in the court that the trial court had declared Abbas as fugitive.

However, Justice Afghan remarked that the relevant court would look into the matter whether he was a fugitive or not, adding that when the investigation was completed what was the need for arresting the accused.

On the petition of Senator Chaudhry, the court approved the bail and order the petitioner to submit bond of Rs100,000 to the trial court.

The court was informed that Chaudhry had been arrested since May 11, 2023 on charges of inciting people and hatching conspiracy.