• ATC judge releases dozens ‘held during agitation’
• Gohar stresses the need for ‘unconditional’ talks

ISLAMABAD: A court will hear on Dec 23 a petition about the alleged killings, injuries, and disappearances of PTI workers during the party’s protest in the federal capital last month.

District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Azam Khan has scheduled the hearing to address the petition filed by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.

His legal move aside, the PTI chairman while speaking to reporters outside the court said he was “in favour of comprehensive, unconditional negotiations at every stage”.

His petition accuses Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, senior police officials and some unidentified individuals of being involved in the killing and disappearances of PTI workers.

According to the petition, 12 PTI workers were killed and 38 others injured due to gunfire. As many as 139 individuals have been reported missing.

These allegations have raised serious concerns regarding the authorities’ handling of the protest, the petition added.

The petitioner’s legal team app­eared before the court during the initial hearing on Saturday.

Judge Khan directed Barrister Gohar to be present at the next hearing to provide further clarification.

The court will hear preliminary arguments on the next date.

Call for talks

Talking to journalists outside the court, Barrister Gohar urged the need for continuing to pursue “comprehensive, unconditional” negotiations between the PTI and the federal government amid hesitation in the party, Dawn.com reported.

PTI leaders had recently agreed to negotiate with the federal government if the offer was ‘serious’, but party founder Imran Khan had criticised the leadership on Thursday for acting as if ‘all is well’ and reiterated his call for civil disobedience if the government continued to ignore his demands.

Barrister Gohar said: “It is essential for democracy to find political solutions to political issues. We will proceed in accordance with the law.”

When asked if the party’s demands were conditions for negotiations, he clarified: “We have not given any conditions, these are our demands. We will negotiate on these demands.”

“We did have contact with the government, but we were disconnected at a critical stage,” the chairman said in response to a question about prior attempts at talks.

“We are hopeful we will re-establish contact and improve the situation […] When there are negotiations, all issues will be resolved,” he said. “Enough is enough. Let us put a stop to everything and move towards improvement.”

ATC grants bail

Separately, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Abual Hasanat Mohammad Zulqarnain granted bail to eight teenagers arrested for their alleged involvement in the PTI’s protest.

During the hearing on Saturday, the court released them and instructed their guardians to complete legal formalities.

The court also ordered the release of 38 individuals arrested in connection with the protest and sent 56 others on judicial remand.

The court expressed frustration over the police’s handling of these cases, particularly the delay in conducting identity parades and presenting the accused in court.

The police presented 32 suspects from Jhelum jail in court during late hours and requested their 30-day physical remand.

The prosecution claimed the suspects were arrested on Nov 25, but had not undergone identity parades due to time constraints.

The defence lawyer countered that the arrests were arbitrary, accusing the police of arresting workers from their homes to inflate the count of suspects held during the protest.

Judge Zulqarnain expressed displeasure over the late-night proceedings, stating that improper police procedures would not be tolerated.

After hearing the arguments, the court discharged all 32 suspects and warned the police against arresting them again without valid cause.

“If the police re-arrest them without justification, I will make the officers answerable in court,” the judge warned.

Separately, 56 individuals whose identity parades had been completed were presented in the court.

Of them, 20 were booked by the Tarnol police station, 18 by the Bani Gala police station, 10 by the Sector I-9 police station and eight by the Shehzad Town police station.

The police’s request for a 20-day physical remand was opposed by defence lawyers, who argued that these suspects were also picked up from their homes before the protests and no incriminating evidence had been recovered from them.

Rejecting the police’s request, the court ordered the suspects to be sent to jail on judicial remand. In a separate incident, six other activists — Babar Ali, Mohammad Mujahid, Shahid, Zeb, Ramzan and Mubashir — were presented in the court.

Judge Zulqarnain ordered their handcuffs to be removed and discharged them from the case, directing the police not to obstruct their paths or attempt re-arrest.

The minors belonged to Rawalpindi, Afghanistan, Bajaur, Mardan and Kahuta. Their arrests during the protest sparked concerns about the treatment of minors in politically motivated cases.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2024