Court acquits PM, Naqvi, Maryam in PTI's Nov 26 protest deaths plea
The District and Sessions Courts, Islamabad, has acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and others while dismissing the PTI's petition regarding alleged deaths and injuries during the PTI's November 26 protest in the federal capital.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka announced the reserved verdict. The petition against Interior Minister Naqvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and others was filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka issued 17 pages order in the case. The court ordered that despite being given multiple dates, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan did not record his statement as an eyewitness. Under the law, it is mandatory to attach a list of witnesses to the complaint, Court Ordered.
The court ruled that Ali Amin Gandapur, Omar Ayub, Bushra Bibi, and several assembly members were named as witnesses in the complaint. No witness appeared in court, and no statement was submitted. The complaint claimed that 12 individuals lost their lives and over 38 workers sustained gunshot wounds.
The court ruled that despite the passage of a long period, post-mortem reports, death certificates, or medical reports of the injured were not submitted. Prima facie, no case is made out against the Prime Minister and other cabinet members. Action cannot be taken based solely on verbal allegations in the absence of evidence.
The ruling states that the requisite preliminary evidence to proceed with action against the Prime Minister and others was not provided. The verdict notes that even if state institutions or hospitals were not cooperating, the legal right to exhume the bodies existed. It further observes that proceedings to exhume the bodies and ascertain the actual causes of death could have been initiated by approaching the Magistrate's court.
The verdict said despite the passage of a long period, the petitioner took no legal action. Multiple volumes of newspaper clippings were attached to the complaint. However, no digital footage or USB drive was presented on the record as evidence to substantiate the allegations.
PTI supporters reach Islamabad demanding Imran Khan’s immediate release on Nov 26
Thousands of members and supporters of Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) reached Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday, November 26, facing heavy repression by security forces including tear gas and live fire. Reportedly four people have been killed. Protesters are demanding the release of their leader, former Prime Minister Imran Khan and have also called for the restoration of the party’s allegedly stolen mandate in this year’s national elections.
PTI and Khan supporters started marching to Islamabad from all corners of the country on Sunday, aiming to reach D-Chowk near the country’s Parliament. However, security forces have attempted to prevent the movement by erecting barricades, including shipping containers, on roads linking the capital with other regions, along with other coercive measures.
Protesters traveling in trucks, buses, cars or on foot from various provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where the PTI is in power, were reportedly attacked by the security forces using batons and tear gas. Additionally, a large number of people have been arrested after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the protest illegal last week.
The actions of the security forces delayed the gathering in Islamabad on Sunday, forcing the PTI to announce that it might take a couple more days for all its supporters to assemble at the designated place in Islamabad. PTI announced that it will not abandon the protest until all objectives are achieved.
The march is organized in response to Khan’s “final call” for protest issued earlier this month. Khan urged all his supporters and party leaders to mobilize and march in solidarity until they achieve the release of all political prisoners, the reversal of 26th constitutional amendment, the restoration of democracy and of the constitution, and the return of “the stolen mandate,” referring to allegedly rigged general elections held in February this year.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had announced that the government would prevent protesters from entering the capital at any cost. The government also accused PTI of working against the interest of the nation. Naqvi admitted that mobile internet services had been suspended in some parts of the country to manage the situation.
Reporter: Hashir Warraich