PTV Attack: Court orders compliance of arrest warrants of Imran, Qadri

ISLAMABAD: Anti-terrorism court Islamabad judge on Friday ordered the police to implement the court orders in relation to the arrest warrants of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri in the case of attack on Pakistan Television (PTV) headquarters in Islamabad.

ATC judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi in the hearing asked why the police had not been able to submit a compliance report on the court’s arrest orders.

The judge while expressing his displeasure over the police failure to implement the orders, directed authorities to carry out the arrests of 70 accused by Nov 17 and present them in court on the said date.

Imran Khan, Tahirul Qadri and other 68 accused were booked after a mob of protesters of 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.

According to eyewitnesses, around 400 PTI and PAT workers had stormed the PTV building, across the road from the main entrance to the Pakistan Secretariat.

The protesters were later dispersed peacefully by a contingent of army and Rangers personnel.

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

The unruly incidents took place during the 2014 sit-ins staged by PTI and PAT members and supporters demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down.

Imran Khan and the federal government have been locking horns again over the Panama Papers leaks. The hearing today comes at the heels of PTI’s planned siege of the federal capital on Nov 2, that is aimed at ramping up pressure on the government to take concrete measures to address the party’s concerns over Panama Papers.