ISLAMABAD: An additional district and sessions judge on Saturday dismissed an application of Shahbaz Gill, chief of staff of PTI chairman Imran Khan, for deferring his indictment until the Supreme Court’s ruling in Arshad Sharif case and summoned him alongside ARY News director Ammad Yousaf on March 22 for framing of charges in a ‘mutiny’ case.

When Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra resumed proceedings in the case to indict Mr Gill and Mr Yousaf, the PTI leader informed the court that his counsel could not appear because he had met an accident. He then requested the court to defer indictment till the Supreme Court concluded the proceeding in the journalist Arshad Sharif murder case.

Since Arshad Sharif was also nominated in the First Informa-tion Report registered in this particular case, the proceeding of the trial court might be deferred till the final verdict of the apex court in the suo motu case, he suggested.

While the judge initially reserved the decision, he dismissed the application after a short break and directed Mr Gill and Mr Yousaf to appear in person on March 22 for indictment.

Police had invoked several sections of Pakistan Penal Code against Mr Gill and Mr Yousaf, including 124-A (sedition), 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot if rioting be committed; if not committed), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), among others.

Mr Yousaf has been facing charges of aiding Mr Gill in the case pertaining to the latter’s controversial comments on ARY News last year allegedly aimed at creating a divide in armed forces.

He was arrested after the channel was served a show-cause notice by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority on the matter in August 2022.

Just last week, the authority suspended licence of the channel for airing clips of PTI chairman’s speech at Zaman Park, hours after it slapped a blanket ban on broadcasting it.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2023