PTV Attack Case: Court defers decision on acquittal plea of Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday deferred its verdict over the petition for acquittal of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Pakistan Television (PTV) and Parliament attack case, ARY News reported.

The court presided over by Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan had reserved its verdict over the acquittal plea of PM Imran Khan in the previous hearing.

Judge Raja Jawad Abbas said that several of the accused in the case had filed petitions for acquittal before Imran Khan and it is unlikely to decide the matter leaving other petitions in pending.

Ijaz Chaudhry, Asad Umar, Jahangir Tareen and scores of other accused have taken back their acquittal petitions, the judge said.

Arrest warrants also issued over absence of several accused in the hearing, he said.

Most of the defendants are being represented by Faisal Chaudhry advocate, he added.

Babar Awan, the counsel of Prime Minister Imran Khan, pleaded to the court, “To hear arguments on petitions of those defendants who are attending the court hearing”.

The judge deferred the hearing for a break till 11:30 AM.

In the previous hearing the government prosecutor informed the court that the prosecution have no objection over acquittal of Imran Khan.

On the question of the judge whether the prosecution will oppose the application for acquittal, the prosecutor said it was a political case with no consequences.

In the PTV attack case, 70 people were booked after a mob of protesters belonging to the PTI and PAT stormed PTV headquarters and forced its staff to take two of the state broadcaster’s flagship channels — PTV News and PTV World — off the air on Sept 1, 2014.

The protesters were also charged with attacking government properties including the Parliament House building.

Another case was related to the attack on then SSP Operations Islamabad Asmatullah Junejo during the protest sit-in in Islamabad seeking resignation of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.