Court acquits minister, others in Red Zone protest case

PESHAWAR: Judicial Magistrate Peshawar, Daulat Khan, on Tuesday acquitted provincial Minister Meena Khan Afridi and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders due to lack of evidence in a case related to entering the Red Zone and damaging an armoured vehicle during a protest on Khyber Road.

However, co-accused Zeeshan, who remained in hiding, was declared an absconder, and a permanent arrest warrant was issued against him.Those, who were acquitted included Member Provincial Assembly Fazal Elahi, Tehsil Nazim Mathra Inamullah Khan, former district nazim Muhammad Asim Khan, and PTI regional President Irfan Saleem.

According to the prosecution, the accused had staged a protest at Khyber Road near Assembly Chowk after the attack on the PTI founder in Wazirabad, Punjab.During the protest, they allegedly entered the Red Zone, pelted stones at the police, and damaged an armoured vehicle.

The protest led to a road blockade for several hours, disrupting traffic. The incident took place on November 3, 2022, after which a case was registered against the accused at East Police Station in Peshawar.

During the hearing, defense counsel Advocate Ali Zaman argued that the case was politically motivated and that no substantial evidence was presented against the accused. He contended that the absence of concrete proof meant that his clients could not be convicted.