ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday rejected a defence plea seeking the removal of terrorism-related charges from the murder case of late Group Captain Asim Tariq, ruling that the trial would continue before the anti-terrorism court.

ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Mohammad Zulqarnain announced the decision after hearing arguments from the defence counsel and prosecutor.

During the proceedings, the defence counsel argued that the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act were not applicable to the case and requested the court to decide the matter before recording statements of prosecution witnesses.

However, the prosecutor opposed the plea, arguing that the nature and circumstances of the incident warranted the inclusion of terrorism charges. He maintained that the court could proceed with recording prosecution witnesses’ statements in light of precedents set by higher courts.

The prosecutor further argued that if the court found at any stage of the trial that the terrorism provisions were not applicable, it had the authority to transfer the case to the appropriate forum. He said it was premature to question the applicability of the charges as no prosecution witness had yet been examined.

The judge initially reserved the decision on the defence application and took a brief recess. After resuming the proceedings, he dismissed the plea and directed that the trial proceed before the ATC.

The court subsequently summoned prosecution witnesses and adjourned further proceedings until Wednesday (today). Police had registered the murder case against the accused at Margalla Police Station.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2026