May 25 violence case: Punjab police declares PTI leaders 'not guilty'

LAHORE: Punjab police have declared PTI leaders ‘not guilty in a case pertaining to vandalism during the Azadi March towards Islamabad on May 25, ARY NEWS reported.

The PTI leaders including Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Shafqat Mahmood, Murad Raas, and others were found innocent in a report submitted by the Punjab police to the court.

The police said that they no longer wanted to arrest the PTI leaders nor did they want to proceed against them in the case.

The police report prompted Yasmin Rashid and others to withdraw their pleas for bail in cases filed at multiple police stations in Lahore.

It is pertinent to mention here that during the last hearing, the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore extended interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in a vandalism case during the Long March on May 25.

The anti-terrorism court in Lahore heard the interim bail applications of PTI leaders Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Hammad Azhar and others.

The ATC expressed its displeasure at the lack of investigation involving Zubair Niazi, Sheikh Imtiaz, Mian Akram Usman and Azeem Afzal and ordered an immediate investigation of the said accused, upon which the statements of Zubair Khan Niazi and others were immediately recorded.

Read More: ATC grants PTI leaders interim bail in ‘Azadi March’ case

During the hearing, the court directed the investigating officer to record the statements of the accused outside the court, and adjourned the hearing for some time while calling the lawyers of the accused for arguments.

Among the PTI leaders, Hammad Azhar, Yasmin Rashid, Aslam Iqbal, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Musarat Cheema, Shafqat Mehmood, Mahmood-ur-Rashid, Andalib Abbas, Murad Ras, Yasir Gilani and Zubair Niazi and others appeared.

On behalf of the accused, Burhan Muazzam Advocate sought time for arguments after which ATC extended the interim bail of PTI leaders till August 5.