ISLAMABAD: Local courts in Islamabad have acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf founder Imran Khan and other party leaders in two cases related to the violation of Section 144 and holding the party’s ‘Azadi March’ in the capital.
According to media reports, Judicial Magistrate Shahzad Khan accepted the acquittal pleas of Imran Khan, Sheikh Rasheed, Faisal Javed Khan, Ali Nawaz Awan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Qasim Suri, Raja Khurram Nawaz, and other suspects in the case registered at Kohsar police station for violating Article 144.
Similarly, Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas accepted pleas for acquittal in the case filed at Karachi Company police station against Imran Khan, Faisal Javed Khan, Ali Nawaz Awan, Saifullah Niazi, Zartaj Gul, Asad Umar, and other suspects for violating Article 144 and organizing the ‘Azadi March’.
During the proceedings, arguments on the acquittal pleas were presented by Sardar Masroof Khan and Amna Ali. The courts had reserved judgments in both cases.
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The judicial magistrate, in issuing the acquittal order for the former prime minister, noted that although the case alleged Imran Khan incited others, there was no evidence on record against him. The court deemed it unjust to proceed with the case based on such a record.
The order emphasised that depriving a suspect of legal rights without justification is unacceptable. Even with available evidence, if the prosecution fails to prove the crime, doubts arise regarding the prosecution’s narrative.
Concluding, the order highlighted that pursuing the case further would waste the court’s valuable time. Therefore, the petition for Imran Khan’s acquittal in the case filed in November 2023 at Khanna police station has been accepted.
