LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday acquitted 23 workers of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in a case of attacking police teams, ransacking public and private property and obstructing the state’s operations during the 2021 protests against France.

Judge Abher Gul Khan announced the verdict declaring that the prosecution had failed to establish its charges against the accused persons in the trial.

The defence lawyers argued that the police produced no evidence against the accused persons to prove their involvement in any illegal activity or violence. They alleged the police arrested the accused from their homes and registered FIRs against them.

Chuhng police had registered a case against the accused persons, including Talib Beg, Ibrar and Amjad.

The TLP had staged sit-ins across the country demanding the government to expel the ambassador of France in the wake of blasphemous cartoons.

The protesters had turned violent and attacked the police personnel and damaged the public and private property.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2023