TOBA TEK SINGH: Faisalabad Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh issued charge sheets to 160 PTI activists on Saturday in cases related to the May 9 attacks on Ghulam Muhammad Abad Police Station and the ISI building in Civil Lines.

The court fixed Dec 14 for the next hearing of both cases. Among those who appeared before the court were Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza and PTI-backed MPA Hassan Zaka Niazi.

The judge accepted the plea of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Umar Ayub, Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, and PTI Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly Zartaj Gul for their one-day exemption from appearing before the court due to their other court commitments and ailments.

The court directed the prosecutor to produce evidence on behalf of the prosecution at the next hearing. Former federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry was also present in court. Speaking to media reporters, MNA Raza said that besides the previously registered cases against him on May 9, 2023, a fresh ATA case had been registered against him and other PTI activists under fake charges of attacking the police on Oct 24. He said PTI Chairman Imran Khan was serious about holding talks with the government on two points. However, if the government wasted this opportunity, people would abide by Mr Khan’s call for civil disobedience.

Mr Chaudhry told reporters that he had submitted an application to the court to discharge the fake case registered against him for his alleged involvement in riots in Faisalabad. He said courts hearing cases on so-called charges had been turned into kangaroo courts by the government.

He said Mr Khan was extremely popular and the government should find a way to hold talks with him on his two-point agenda. He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur would invite all political parties to the Dec 13 Peshawar moot, where Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s role would be important.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2024