ISLAMABAD: The anti-terrorism court (ATC) of Islamabad on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrant for Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa Information Mini­ster Shaukat Yousafzai in cases pertaining to attacks on Parliament House and Pakistan Tele­vision building during the 2014 sit-ins staged by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).

ATC Judge Syed Kausar Abbas Zaidi has given a day’s exemption to Foreign Minis­ter Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood and PTI senior leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, who are all nominated in these cases, from appearance in the court.

The court issued non-bailable arrest warrant after repeated absence of Mr Yousafzai in the proceeding of the cases. The court directed the police to execute the arrest warrant and produce the accused on the next date of hearing on March 28.

In the cases, leaders and over a hundred workers and supporters of the PTI and PAT were booked. The workers, who were arrested, were later released on bail.

On Aug 31, 2014, in an attempt to topple the PML-N government, PTI and PAT workers had marched on Parliament House and the PM House and clashed with the police.

On Sept 1, 2014, hundreds of men, allegedly protesters from the PTI and PAT camps, had ransacked the PTV office and Parliament House premises.

The court also issued non-bailable arrest warrant for 26 PTI workers for not appearing before the court. The court deferred the proceeding on the applications filed by incumbent Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Dr Arif Alvi who are also nominated as accused in the FIR.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2019