KARACHI: Police have charged-sheeted 11 lawmakers and leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) with facilitating and inciting violence and arson attacks on public and private properties and causing terror on May 9, in reaction to the arrest of party chief and former prime minister Imran Khan.

The PTI leaders — former federal minister Murad Saeed, MPAs Shah Nawaz Jadoon, Saeed Awan, Khurram Sher Zaman, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Raja Azhar and Adeel Ahmed along with Aftab Siddiqui, Alamgir Khan, Faheem Khan and Arsalan Ghuman and 19 detained activists — had been booked along with 800-900 people on the charges after a protest rally on Sharea Faisal.

“However, none of them will have to face trials in proposed military courts punish those involved in attacking and ransacking defence installations and properties because no such incident of attacking or ransacking sensitive defence installations or properties took place in any part of the province,” Sindh’s top prosecutor Faiz Shah told Dawn.

The investigating officers (IOs) had filed interim challan before the administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts in two separate cases registered against the PTI leaders and activists at the Ferozabad and Tipu Sultan police stations.

IOs told to file final challans by 20th

The judge accepted the interim challan and told the IOs to submit final challans against the detained and absconding leaders and activists in both cases till July 20. The judge also told the investigating officer of Sharea Faisal police station to file the challan in the third case as well.

In the interim challans, the IOs placed senior party leaders, including ex-minister Murad Saeed and lawmakers Jadoon, Saeed Awan, Khurram Sher Zaman, Haleem Adil, Raja Azhar and Adeel Ahmed along with Aftab Siddiqui, Alamgir Khan, Faheem Khan, Arsalan Ghuman, Imranul Haque, Hayatullah, Arshad Hussain Shah, Riazullah, Hamza, Saleem Nadir, Nadeem Gujjar and 800-900 unknown men in the column-II for lack of evidence against them.

The interim challan stated that on the call of and under the leadership of PTI’s Murad Saeed, Sindh MPAs Jadoon, Azhar, Awan, Zaman, Sheikh, Ahmed and leaders Alamgir Khan, Faheem Khan and Arsalan Ghuman, some 800-900 activists gathered at the Insaf House on Sharea Faisal from where they marched on different roads while wielding weapons and batons and chanting slogans.

It further stated that the protesters chanted slogans demanding release of Imran Khan, set fire to a private car, five bowsers of the water utility and a bus of Peoples Bus Service with inflammable substances near Kababjees.

It further stated that the the protesters also set ablaze five motorcycles, a kiosk of the Ferozabad traffic section, burning six official motorcycles, three cameras, 14 bullet proof vests, official records and equipment on Sharea Faisal.

It stated that the protesters also resorted to arson and physical torture, which terrorised the public, while damaging the private and public properties.

The challan stated that SHO Ferozabad Inspector Inamullah ordered tear-gas shelling due to which the protesters dispersed and only10 of them were arrested while 800-900 unknown protestors managed to flee under the cover of aerial firing.

The IO stated that the arrested suspects, including Adnan Shah, Hasnain Ali, Zameer Ahmed, Adnan Masih, Umer Younus, Zakir-ur-Rehman and Malik Umer were taken into custody, who during interrogation stated that on the instructions and under leadership of 11 PTI leaders, 19 identified activists along with 800-900 unknown men staged protest at Sharea Faisal, burnt traffic police’s kiosk and private and public vehicles.

The IO stated that by inserting the Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, he also nominated PTI leaders Murad Saeed, Imranul Haq, Daulat Khan, Hayatullah, Arshad Hussain Shah and Saleem Nadir.

The IOs listed some 55 persons, including policemen and private persons, as witnesses in both cases.

The cases were registered at the Ferozabad, Tipu Sultan and Sharea Faisal police station on behalf of the state.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2023