LAHORE, Jan 29: The counsel for the complainant in Sabzazar shootout case on Tuesday offered before the Anti-Terrorism Court to withdraw the case against former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif if he stated on oath that he was not involved.

The counsel for Mr Sharif, Khwaja Haris, however, declined the offer and prayed to the court that they would like to deal with the case on its merits.

The ATC is trying Shahbaz for his alleged role in a ‘police encounter’ in the jurisdiction of Sabzazar police. Shahbaz was declared an absconder in the case and subsequently, in separate proceedings, declared a fugitive from justice, which resulted in his disqualification from contesting the election.

Complainant Saeeduddin is father of one of the four men killed in the shootout.

Aftab Bajwa, the counsel for Saeed, proposed during the course of proceedings that Scotland Yard be engaged for investigating charges against Shahbaz Sharif. Shahbaz’s counsel said the proposal was unlawful and could not be executed.

The judge said if the petitioner was serious in pursuing the demand, he should file a separate application for the purpose.

Currently, the judge is hearing two applications filed on behalf of Shahbaz - one for his immediate acquittal and the second for exemption from proceedings.

Saeed’s counsel said Shahbaz had lied before the court about his illness and submitted fake medical certificate. He said Shahbaz had gone to Islamabad instead of attending the proceedings. Saeed’s counsel provided the court with news clippings of different national dailies on Shahbaz’s meetings with Saudi ambassador and a government functionary in Islamabad to stress that the medical certificate submitted before the court was a ruse.

On the last date of hearing, the court had sought a reply from Shahbaz in contempt proceedings for submitting “a fake medical certificate before the court to justify his absence”.

Khwaja Haris said he had received the copy of the allegations levelled against his client and would make submissions on this count on the next date of hearing.

Arguing for his client’s acquittal, Haris said Shahbaz could not be tried on mere heresy because in a court of law, a person could not be tried without evidence against him.

He said the petition filed in the high court for registration of case in Sabzazar shootout did not have any mention of Shahbaz. He added that later when the complainant made an application to the police, he mentioned that Shahbaz’s influence had been barring him from getting a case registered.

On that basis, the police added Shahbaz’s name to the FIR, he said. “Besides, no prosecution witness in his statements ever mentioned Shahbaz’s name,” he argued.

The case will resume on Feb 3. —Reporter