Parliament attack case: Qureshi, Tareen, Khattak exempted from appearance

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday approved the applications, filed by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, for exemption from their personal appearance in the Pakistan Television (PTV) and Parliament attack case.

In a hearing, presided by ATC Judge Syed Jawad Hassan Abbas, the requests of Qureshi,

Tareen and Khattak, as well as PTI leader and former finance minister Asad Umar, Education and Professional Training Minister Shafqat Mehmood, and former close aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Saifullah Niazi, were heard.

The hearing was adjourned till Sept 10. Leaders of the PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) had staged a months-long sit-in in August 2014 to protest the alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, wherein both parties' workers had overcome police barriers in an attempt to enter the Prime Minister House. The gate to the Parliament House was damaged in the process as well.

In these cases, Prime Minister Imran Khan had already successfully obtained a permanent exemption from personal appearance in the court.