An anti-terrorist court in Islamabad has directed the Pakistan Police to arrest Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri in connection with an attack on the Pakistan Television headquarters during a political protest in 2014.
ATC judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi questioned the police as to why it had not submitted a report on implementing the arrest warrants issued for Iran Khan, Tahirul Qadri and 68 others, reported The Dawn. The judge then directed the police to carry out the arrests of Imran Khan, Tahirul Qadri and 68 others by November 17 and present them before the court on the said date.
A total of 70 people were booked when a mob of protesters belonging to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehrik stormed the PTV headquarters in Islamabad and forced staff to take two flagship channels – PTV News and PTV World – off the air on September 1, 2014.
According to eyewitnesses, about 400 PTI and PAT workers, who were camping outside the Parliament as part of a protest to oust the Sharif’s government, had stormed the PTV building.
However, normalcy was restored shortly after as the occupying force dispersed peacefully, shouting pro-army slogans and hugging army personnel who arrived at the scene.
The protesters were also charged with attacking government properties including the Parliament House building.
The court’s order comes days ahead of a planned shutdown of Islamabad from November 2 by Imran Khan’s party, which would aim to block the city and stop the government from functioning.
Khan had warned Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to present his accountability or resign from the post over allegations that his three children – Maryam, Hasan and Hussain – owned offshore assets worth millions of dollars and were named in Panama Leaks.
