ATC rejects police pleas for JI activist custody

PESHAWAR: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday rejected two separate applications of the police about the custody of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Khyber district, leader Khan Wali Afridi.

The police had arrested the accused on charges of delivering speeches against the state institutions.

ATC Judge Muhammad Iqbal heard the case filed by the Landikotal police and Palas police in Kohistan.

According to the prosecution, Landikotal police had submitted a request to the court to transfer Khan Wali from jail under Annexure B in a case of 2022, while Palas police had filed another request to transfer him from jail to Kohistan in connection with a terrorism case on October 9.

However, the court turned down both the applications and ordered that the accused should be kept in jail.

In its written order about application of Landikotal police, the judge observed that the police had failed to satisfy the court regarding the transfer of the accused.

The court said that an individual cannot be nominated in a case merely based on someone’s wish. The court made it clear that no one would be allowed to play with the lives and property of citizens and rejected the police requests.