ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in SSP Asmatullah Junejo attack case.
At the last hearing on April 25, Judge Shahrukh Arjumand had summoned the PTI chief in person so that it can rule on his request for acquittal from the case.
As the PTI chief appeared in the court on Friday, the ATC judge ruled in his favour after which Imran said “thank you very much” in Urdu.
On September 1, 2014, hundreds of men, allegedly protesters from the PTI and PAT camps, ransacked the PTV office, parliament premises and brutally beat up Junejo, less than 24 hours into his first day as Islamabad SSP operations. Imran, PAT chief Tahirul Qadri and several others were booked for their alleged involvement in the attacks.
Talking to media after the verdict, Imran said he is happy over the court decision and vowed to stop the misuse of anti-terrorism laws when his government comes to power. “Such democratic governments are worse than military dictatorships,” he asserted.
In response to a question, Imran said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif needs psychiatric help as he is mentally unstable. Talking about Punjab chief minister, Imran said Shehbaz Sharif and his sons work together, alleging that they have a ‘corruption limited company’.
The PTI chief praised the work of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). “For the first time they are taking the right people to task,” he said.
Extending support to NAB to investigate all government departments, Imran claimed Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scared of investigations after misusing development funds. “No one is more corrupt than Zardari,” observed the PTI chief. “But he is not a hypocrite. He does not pose to be innocent like the Sharifs.”
The PTI chief criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Rana Sanaullah, Abid Sher Ali, Javed Latif, Khawaja Asif and Talal Chaudhry for their anti-women remarks. “A Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister was made to apologise instantly when he made anti-women remarks,” Imran shared.
He called out Maryam Nawaz for being a false champion of women’s rights. He claimed the Sharifs did not even spare Pakistan People’s Party’s Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. “Sharifs use these tactics, their front-men spit venom against women. They did not even spare Nusrat and Benazir Bhutto,” he said.
Imran also dwelled on an anti-terrorism court’s mandate. “ATC was established for cases that could not be accommodated by normal courts,” he said. Citing former SSP Rao Anwar’s case, Imran accused ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari for transferring unnecessary cases to the ATC. “They have adopted the same stance as military dictators.”
Published in Daily Times, May 5th 2018.
