RAWALPINDI: Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Amjad Ali Shah on Tuesday sent PTI activists Raja Sarfaraz and Chaudhry Naveed to the Adiala Jail for an identity parade in connection with an assault on journalists outside the prison during a press talk by Aleema Khan.
The two suspects were produced before the court which directed that the identity parade be completed and a report submitted by September 23.
The Rawalpindi Police registered a case against PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan, party lawyer Naeem Panjutha, and others for violence against journalists outside the Adiala Jail. The FIR, lodged at the Saddar Bairooni Police Station on the complaint of Supreme Court Press Association President Tayyab Baloch, invoked Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 382 (theft with preparation for hurt), 427 (mischief causing damage), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Baloch stated that at around 3:55pm, while he and other journalists were covering Aleema Khan’s media talk following a Toshakhana case hearing, Panjutha allegedly incited the crowd, saying: “Teach him a lesson for questioning Aleema about properties.” According to Baloch, 35-40 men then attacked him, pinned him to the ground, and beat him. He alleged that during the assault, his mobile phone was snatched and his microphone broken, while fellow journalists who tried to intervene were also manhandled. “We barely escaped after much pleading,” he said. Baloch claimed the attack was premeditated, recalling that Aleema Khan’s supporters had previously circulated his pictures online and spread rumours after he questioned her about properties in the US. He urged legal action against Aleema, Panjutha, and their associates.
In response, Panjutha dismissed the allegations, terming the FIR a “fake case” against him and Aleema.