Sit-in violence cases: ATC exempts Imran, others from appearance

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GEO NEWS
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ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan's plea seeking an exemption from appearance in PTV and Parliament attack cases.

The PTI chief and other party leaders are accused of attacking the Parliament and Pakistan Television (PTV) headquarters during the 2014 sit-in in Islamabad. Earlier this year in May, an ATC acquitted the PTI chief in a 2014 case pertaining to the alleged torture of a police official.

As the hearing went under way in ATC judge Kosar Abbas Zaidi's court, Imran's lawyer petitioned that due to commitments pertaining to his election campaign, his client sought an exemption from appearing before the court. 

Other PTI leaders including Asad Umar and Raja Khurram were also exempted from appearing before the court. 

The court ordered all accused in the case to appear before it on September 11, till when the hearing was adjourned. 

The cases

The anti-terrorism court is hearing three cases – attack on the state television building, Parliament – against PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leaders.

In 2014, Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chairman Tahirul Qadri staged a major rally in Islamabad against alleged rigging in the 2013 election and the Model Town tragedy, which had seen as many as 14 people killed and 100 others injured when police attacked Qadri's residence during an 'anti-encroachment' operation.

The protest had continued for 104 days.

The PTI chief had pleaded the court to transfer the cases to civil court, however, the request was rejected on December 11, 2017.