ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday appeared before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing four cases against him in connection with the PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) 2014 protest sit-in.
The ATC had issued non-bailable warrants against Imran Khan after he persistently failed to show up for the hearing. The court had initiated the proceedings for declaring him proclaimed offender.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Imran, through his counsel, surrendered himself before the ATC. The ATC approved the PTI chairman’s bail for Rs200,000 in each case and adjourned the hearing till Nov 24.
Addressing the media, Imran reiterated that his party was peacefully protesting in 2014 for transparent elections but a terrorism case was lodged against them.
On Sept 1, 2014, during the PTI and PAT protests against ‘rigging’ in General Elections 2013, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asmatullah Junejo was beaten up by protesters on Constitution Avenue on his first day on the job as SSP Operations of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police.
Besides this, Imran and PAT chief Tahirul Qadri also face charges of destroying property in the Red Zone and attacking the state TV channel’s building.
PTI and PAT supporters had attempted to break a police cordon and storm the PM House, using cranes to remove barricades. The clashes between police and protesters resulted in the deaths of three people and caused injuries to over 560.
The Secretariat police had registered a case against several PTI and PAT workers for their alleged involvement in vandalism and attacking SSP Junejo.
The ATC had issued warrants for Khan and Qadri with directions to the police to produce them before the court. Police had later told the ATC that the execution of the arrest warrants against the two politicians could not take place as they were not found at their residence.
Police had also submitted a report before the ATC, saying that a police party had gone to the residence of Imran Khan in Bani Gala where a security guard informed them that Khan was not at home and that he did not know where he was.
A similar report was submitted with regards to PAT Chairman Tahirul Qadri.
