Shaukat Yousafzai, others indicted in Feb 9 case

ALPURI: A local court on Wednesday indicted former provincial minister and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shaukat Yousafzai and other party workers in the February 9 case.

The court of Civil Judge Tahir Khan in Alpuri after brief hearing in the February 9 case indicted Shaukat Yousafzai, his brother and PTI Shangla president Liaqat Yousafzai, chairman Ikram Shah, Arif Khan, Naseebur Rahman, Ijaz Khan and Salman Khan and others.

The court also issued orders for formal proceedings in the case on next hearing. However, Shaukat Yousafzai and other PTI workers pleaded not guilty.

On February 9, two political activists were killed and several injured in a firing incident in Shangla. The police had registered cases of alleged murder, and terrorism against the PTI leaders and workers.

Talking to PTI workers, Shaukat Yousafzai said that they had committed no crime and had always continued political struggle in a peaceful manner. He claimed the cases instituted and allegations leveled against the party workers and leaders were baseless and unfounded, saying the government action was akin to strangulating democracy and political culture in the country. He hoped that the courts would dispense justice in all ‘fake’ cases they were facing.