ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday acquitted President Dr Arif Alvi and several federal ministers and estranged leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the case regarding a 2014 attack on Parliament House.

Federal Ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Shafqat Mehmood, Pervaiz Khattak and PTI leader Saifullah Khan Niazi appeared before the court.

Judge Mohammad Ali Warraich acquitted them as well as Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan, and a number of others.

Prime Minister Imran Khan was also named as an accused in the case, but he has already been acquitted by the court.

At the last hearing, the court had waived the constitutional immunity of President Alvi on his own request. The FIR registered in the case alleged that three people were killed and 26 others injured in the incident, while 60 were arrested. Police had nominated 82 suspects in the FIR on the attack.

The prosecution had submitted 65 photos and sticks and cutters, etc. to the court to establish its case. The-then prosecution’s case was that the protest was not peaceful.

On Aug 31, 2014 PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers who were holding a sit-in outside parliament, marched on Parliament House and the Prime Minister’s House and clashed with police deployed on Islamabad’s Constitution Avenue.

In addition to the unidentified attackers, police had nominated PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri as an accused in the case. The ATC declared them proclaimed offenders in November 2014 as they did not appear before the court despite issuance of summons and arrest warrants.

In July 2017, the ATC declared them absconders and began the process of confiscating their movable and immovable properties. In May 2018, the ATC acquitted Mr Khan in the SSP torture case.

The PTI leaders, including Mr Khan, remained absconders and surrendered in October 2017 only after the ATC was about to attach their properties.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2022