ATC issues arrest warrants for senior PTI leaders

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for top leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in Punjab over allegedly damaging state property during the party’s long march to Islamabad.

The court issued the warrants for 17 leaders including former federal ministers Hammad Azhar, Shafqat Mahmood, and former provincial minister Dr Yasmin Rashid for multiple charges including alleged violations of Section 144 and attacks on law enforcement agencies.

The court also issued warrants for Mian Akram Usman, Zubair Niazi, Imtiaz Mehmood Sheikh, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, Malik Nadeem Abbas, Murad Raas, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Yasir Gilani, Andleeb Abbas, and Ijaz Chaudhry.

The warrants were issued after a request by investigating officer of Shahdra and Gulberg police stations. ATC Judge Abhar Gul Khan issued the arrest warrants for the PTI leaders after police approached the court and sought permission to arrest PTI activists.

It stated that the accused persons were “intentionally concealing themselves in order to avoid their arrest and their arrest is necessary for completion of the investigation”.

It is to be noted that several PTI leaders including former prime minister Imran Khan, Asad Umar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and others have been booked by police in various FIRs related to Azadi March.

Last month, the Punjab police had registered a total of 42 criminal cases against PTI’s senior leaders and workers for alleged agitation in the aftermath of the long march.

It said three police officials had been martyred in the line of duty while 100 others were injured, three of them seriously, in allegedly attacks by PTI workers. Of them, 34 personnel were injured in Lahore, 48 in Attock and nine in Sargodha, Mianwali, Rawalpindi, Jhelum and other cities.