ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s application for transfer of the case regarding the attack on the PTV headquarters building in 2014 to a civil court and directed him to appear before it on Dec 19 for a bail hearing.

The attack on the PTV building occurred during the protest sit-ins the PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) staged in the federal capital in 2014 — the former demanded the resignation of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif because of alleged rigging in the general elections held in May 2013 and the latter demanded punishment for those who were responsible for the Model Town incident in which 14 people were killed and around 80 were injured during an operation against encroachments in Lahore.

Addressing protesters during the sit-in, Mr Khan not only threatened to shut down the whole country but also announced civil disobedience. The PTI sit-in continued for 126 days.

During the two parties’ sit-ins the protesters not only attacked and injured Senior Superintendent of Police Asmatullah Junejo at Constitution Avenue but also attacked the PTV building and barged into the boundary of the Parliament House.

The cases of these incidents were registered against Mr Khan and PAT chief Tahirul Qadri and the ATC issued arrest warrants against them.

On Dec 7 the PTI chief requested that the case regarding the attack on the PTV building should be transferred from the ATC to a civil court and that it should not be considered an act of terrorism.

During the hearing on Monday, the prosecution said Mr Khan had incited violence in his speeches and urged his supporters to attack police officials and state buildings.

On this Mr Khan’s lawyer, Babar Awan, said that the PTI chief had repeatedly told his followers to exercise restraint and refrain from harming other people.

“You brought people to the capital, told them to attack buildings and then brushed off responsibility by saying that you were not present at the time of the attack,” the state lawyer responded.

Mr Awan said that if cases were registered against people for giving speeches, members of the Sharif family should have been nominated in around 200 cases since the Supreme Court had announced the verdict in the Panama Papers case.

The state prosecutor further said that Mr Khan’s supporters had injured 26 police officials and attacked the PTV building, terming the incidents acts of terrorism.

Citing another incident in 2014, Mr Awan said that members of the Sikh community had broken the gate of the Parliament House and entered the building during a protest, but no action was taken against them by the state.

The prosecuting lawyer referred to a phone conversation, allegedly between Mr Khan and PTI leader Arif Alvi, in which the PTI chief appeared to be happy about the attack on the PTV building.

On this, Mr Awan accused the government of recording his client’s phone calls. He also demanded a copy of the tape so that the party could verify its authenticity.

Talking to reporters on his way to the ATC, the PTI chief accused the government of being involved in political revenge by filing cases against him.

He said the ruling party members were trying to defame their opponents in a bid to hide their own corruption.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017