Parliament attack case: IHC to hear govt’s appeal against Imran’s acquittal

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday fixed for hearing an appeal filed by the federal government challenging the acquittal of former prime minister Imran Khan, ex-defence minister Pervez Khattak and others in the 2014 Parliament House attack case.

A two-member division bench of the IHC, comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, will hear the petition on January 9. The federal government has challenged Khan’s acquittal through the advocate general Islamabad.

The petition requests that the decision of the acquittal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and other party leaders in relation to the Parliament House attack be annulled.

The appellant claims that the decision of an anti-terrorism court (ATC) to acquit the former PM is against the law and that the trial court made a "hasty" decision. It also asserts that there is sufficient documentary evidence and videos linking Khan to the crime on record.

In its appeal, the federal government has maintained that the court acquitted Khan on October 29, 2020 by ignoring statements of eyewitnesses and public prosecutors and that his acquittal was against the law.

The former prime minister, as well as other party leaders, including President Arif Alvi, Asad Umar and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act after being accused of attacking the Parliament House and the office of the state-run TV during a sit-in staged by the PTI and PAT in Islamabad in August 2014.