Pakistan anti-terrorism court acquits PM Imran Khan in 2014 Parliament attack case

Islamabad, October 29

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was acquitted by an anti-terrorism courtroom on Thursday within the 2014 Parliament assault case however different senior ministers, together with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, had been summoned for indictment, in line with media experiences.

Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan, nevertheless, halted proceedings in opposition to President Arif Alvi as a result of presidential immunity granted to him, The Express Tribune reported.

On August 31, 2014, employees of the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) marched in direction of the Parliament and Prime Minister’s House and clashed with police, killing three individuals and injuring 26 others.

Police had invoked sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act in opposition to Khan and different PTI leaders.

According to a report within the Dawn newspaper, Prime Minister Khan’s acquittal comes after he, this week, urged the courtroom to acquit him because the prosecution was not excited about pursuing the case.

The software filed by his lawyer acknowledged that “the prosecution was not interested in prosecuting the applicant (Imran Khan)”.

“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,” it stated.

According to the counsel, not a single witness of the prosecution had linked the Prime Minister with the offence, including that there was no direct or oblique proof out there on document in opposition to the Prime Minister, the report stated.

Prosecution legal professionals had been appointed by the federal government and took directions from it. The then prosecution workforce beneath the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) authorities had fought the Parliament assault case however with a brand new workforce beneath the PTI authorities, the scenario had modified, the Dawn report famous.

Judge Hassan summoned Foreign Minister Qureshi, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood and Planning Minister Asad Umar on the subsequent listening to on November 12 for indictment.

Provincial ministers Aleem Khan and Shaukat Yousafzai and PTI’s former secretary-general Jahangir Tareen have additionally been summoned on the subsequent listening to.

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) employee Mubashir Ali has been acquitted within the case.

Geo information reported that PAT chairman Tahirul Qadri has been declared a fugitive. PTI