ISLAMABAD: Anti-Terr­orism Court (ATC) of Islam­abad on Thursday quashed a complaint against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and others over alleged violence against participants of the 2014 sit-in of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in the federal capital.

Last week ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan had reserved the decision on a report filed by Secretariat police station that sought to quash the complaint against the Sharifs and others.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was the complainant in the matter.

He had accused the Sharifs, ex-minister Chau­d­­hry Nisar and others of being responsible for viole­nce against the PTI and PAT workers during the sit-in.

Initially, Mr Qureshi had submitted the complaint to the Secretariat police. However, since police were reluctant to register the First Information Report in the matter, the foreign minister moved the application before an additional district and sessions judge, seeking registration of an FIR.

After conducting investigations into the case, police recommended the FIR should be quashed.

The same court recently acquitted Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Parlia­ment House attack case which is related to the violence on the same day.

The 2014 sit-in near the Parliament House was the culmination of a long march on the capital, mounted by the PTI. Mr Khan termed the rally the “Azadi march”, or “Freedom march”, because his party’s workers set off on it from Lahore on Aug 14.

Mr Khan described the protest march the final phase of his party’s protest against alleged rigging in the 2013 elections and vowed to get the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government removed through peaceful protests.

After the PTI chief anno­unced his plans, Maulana Muhammad Tahirul Qadri of PAT also announced the launch of a similar protest. He named his protest the “Inqilab march”. Maulana Qadri’s march also began on Aug 14.

Clashes between police and the PTI and PAT members and supporters broke out on Aug 30, as protesters tried to march on the Prime Minister House.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2020