Declaration implemented: Court orders Qadri, govt to withdraw cases against each other

Agreement stipulates that both parties avoid revenge.

ISLAMABAD: The withdrawal process of cases between the government and Tahirul Qadri’s Minhajul Quran International (MQI) was kickstarted on Tuesday, when Kohsar police submitted a copy of Qadri’s sit-in ending declaration in a sessions court. As a result, the court ordered the dismissal of both the police’s case against MQI and the MQI’s application for an FIR against them.

The police  made the move in order to defend their decision not to register an FIR following a complaint by the MQI against Interior Minister Rehman Malik and other police officials for “attempting to kidnap Dr Qadri” during his sit-in.

The court said that if the police were following the agreement reached after last week’s sit-in, they would have to end the case they registered against the MQI chief and his associates over the same incident in Kohsar police station as well.

The fifth and final point of the declaration signed between the government and Dr Tahirul Qadri last week stipulated that both parties withdraw their cases against each other.

MQI representative Abrar Raza said that they were willing to withdraw their application for FIR registration if the police also withdrew their case.

“A decision in this regard will be made on Wednesday,” said MQI representative Advocate Abrar Raza.

A senior police officer, however, insisted that the case against the MQI chief had not been withdrawn. “There is no way a registered case can be withdrawn. It will stay,” he said.

MQI representative Raza, however, said it would be over following the court order on Wednesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2013.