LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other PTI leaders and workers have been re-indicted in the Shadman police station attack following the addition of new accused by the prosecution.
The hearing was conducted by Anti-Terrorism Court-1 (ATC) Judge Manzer Ali Gill at Kot Lakhpat jail.
The judge framed charges against the accused persons afresh in light of the supplementary challan (charge sheet) filed by the prosecution. However, all accused pleaded not guilty.
The judge directed the prosecution to present its witnesses on Jan 16 to record statements.
ATC frames charges for second time as prosecution files fresh challan; verdict reserved on bail pleas of over 200 PTI workers
PTI leaders, other than Mr Qureshi, indicted in the case included Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, Punjab chapter president Dr Yasmin Rashid, former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and former provincial minister Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed.
Those out on bail, including PTI social media activists Sanam Javed and Tayyaba Raja, former MNAs Aliya Hamza Malik and Rubina Jamil and fashion designer Khadija Shah, also attended the trial proceeding.
The judge also issued notices on identical applications filed by the prosecution and defence challenging the indictments in four cases related to May 9 riots, including burning police vehicles on Sarwar Road and violence outside GOR-I and Shadman police station.
The prosecution stated that the charges against the accused had been framed in a vague and complex manner as multiple offences had been clubbed together under one head.
It said any accused at a later stage of the trial could take an undue advantage to secure an acquittal.
The prosecution said the trial in all four cases was at an initial stage and the proposed amendments of the charge will not cause any delay in the conclusion of the trial.
It pointed out that only statements of the witnesses had been recorded and their cross-examination was yet to be conducted by the defence.
On the other hand, defence counsel Burhan Moazzam Malik challenged the indictment, pleading that all the accused persons had been implicated in the cases on political consideration and without any evidence against them.
He asked the court to quash the charges against the accused and exonerate them. The judge issued notices to the prosecution and defence for replies by Jan 16.
Verdict on bail reserved
Separately, an Islamabad ATC reserved verdict on the post-arrest bail applications of more than 200 PTI workers. They were detained over their alleged involvement in the Nov 26 protest in the federal capital.
On Thursday, the PTI lawyer and prosecutor presented their respective cases.
The defence highlighted inconsistencies in cases registered against PTI workers.
The counsel noted that FIRs included allegations of firing, but these claims lacked specific evidence or identification of the accused.
He urged the court to grant bail to his clients, stating that innocent workers should not be punished based on generalised allegations.
The prosecutor, meanwhile, contended that the accused were arrested following proper identification and that substantial evidence was on record.
He asserted that police officers were injured during the protests and that the law should take its course.
The prosecutor remarked that violence during protests has been PTI’s “history” and cited examples of agitations in Islamabad since 2014.
This led to a heated exchange between the prosecution and defence lawyers, with the former objecting to “political comments” in the arguments.
After hearing both sides, Judge Abual Hasanat Mohammad Zulqarnain reserved the verdict, which is expected to be announced in the coming days.
Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2025
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