ISLAMABAD: Fed up with frequent appearances before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Thursday filed applications in the court seeking exemption from personal appearance and acquittal even before commencement of trial proceedings in a case relating to the attack on Senior Superintendent of Police Asmatullah Junejo.

The ATC on the applications of Mr Khan issued a notice to the prosecution and adjourned the proceedings till Feb 26.

Mr Khan remained a proclaimed offender in the case from November 2014 to November 2017 and surrendered himself before the court at a time when the court had started the process to confiscate his movable and immovable properties.

Talking to reporters after appearing before the court, Mr Khan expressed disappointment over his repeated appearances in the case.

“I don’t know how many times I have appeared before the antiterrorism court. In fact, I forget the numbers of my appearances,” he said.

Answering a question about the government’s response to the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking to put the names of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Mar­yam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Captain Moham­mad Safdar on the Exit Control List (ECL), Mr Khan criticised Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for not complying with the NAB’s directive. He termed Mr Abbasi a ‘puppet’ in the hands of Nawaz Sharif.

He alleged that Mr Sharif was putting pressure on the judiciary to get some relief. He also alleged that the PML-N was spending huge money on its political rallies and it had bribed voters to win the Lodhran by-election.

The PTI chief accused Mr Sharif of attacking the judiciary to divert its attention from his possible conviction. But, he added, his [Mr Sharif] drama would not work.

Earlier, Mr Khan presided over a meeting of the PTI’s core group at his Banigala residence.

During the meeting, the party members discussed the recently held by-election in Lodhran where the party had to face defeat with a big margin.

According to an official handout issued after the meeting, the PTI leaders praised Ali Tareen, the son of PTI leader Jahangir Tareen, for effectively running the election campaign. They termed the party’s defeat a result of “local political dynamics”. The PTI leaders decided to launch a mass contact drive to be begun from Karachi.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2018