Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Mushtaq in Lahore Monday accepted the acquittal pleas of singer Bilal Saeed and actor Saba Qamar in the case of alleged desecration of Wazir Khan mosque, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The acquittal plea maintained that claimants registered the case only to blackmail the accused Bilal Saeed and Saba Qamar as there was no scene of dancing recorded in the mosque paresis.

The pleas pleaded that they got permission from the Auqaf Department to film the song shooting of ‘Qabool Hay’ and no witnesses complained about the shooting of the song in the mosque.

It was argued that the claimant advocate Farhat Manzoor Chandio was not a witness at the spot when the filming was rerecorded and there was no evidence to violate the sanctity of the mosque, hence, both may be acquitted from the case.

Earlier, a judicial magistrate issued bailable warrants for the arrest of singer Bilal Saeed for not appearing in the trial proceedings of a case of alleged desecration of Wazir Khan mosque with his co-accused local actress Saba Qamar.

Both culprits had moved applications for exemption from personal appearance. The accused counsel submitted that the actor had gone to UAE for professional assignments and would return by March 31 and Saeed could not appear due to illness.

A prosecutor opposed these applications submitting that no medical certificate was produced on behalf of Saeed and Saba Qamar went abroad without the court’s permission.

He said the suspects intentionally avoided their appearance to delay their indictment.

At the last hearing, the magistrate had dismissed the acquittal applications of both the accused.

Akbari Gate police had registered an FIR against the duo under section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) following a court’s direction to act on an application of a lawyer as per law and decide whether a cognizable offence was made out.

The section deals with the offence of injuring or defiling a place of worship, with the intent to insult the religion of any class.

Advocate Farhat Manzoor Chandio, the complainant, pleaded that the culprits trampled upon the sanctity of the mosque by their act which also sparked outrage among the citizens.

Reporter Shaheen Atique