Non-bailable arrest warrants issued against KP minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai

Published February 12, 2019
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai. — File
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai. — File

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai in connection with an attack on the Parliament House and Pakistan Television (PTV) building during the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf's (PTI) 2014 sit-in.

ATC judge Syed Kausar Abbasi Zaidi issued the arrest warrants for Yousafzai as he had repeatedly failed to attend court proceedings. The court ordered that the provincial minister be arrested and presented before the court.

Furthermore, the court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against 26 workers, allegedly belonging to the PTI.

Police had invoked relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act against Imran Khan and his fellow PTI leaders Arif Alvi, Asad Umar, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Shafqat Mahmood and Raja Khurram Nawaz for inciting violence during the 2014 sit-in at D-Chowk in Islamabad.

According to the prosecution, three people had been killed, 26 others injured, and 60 arrested during the violence. The prosecution had submitted 65 photos, sticks, cutters, etc, to the court to establish its case.

During the proceedings today, the court was unable to address the applications seeking the acquittal of senior PTI leaders Imran Khan, Jahangir Khan Tareen and Alvi, as well as petitions for permanent exemptions of Qureshi, Umar, Mahmood and Tareen from appearing before the court.

The hearing of the case was postponed till March 28.

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