IHC to hear appeal against Imran Khan's acquittal in Parliament attack case

• Govt says it has sufficient evidence to link Khan to crime.
• Trial court acquitted Khan and PTI leader in a haste, it says.
• All PTI leaders suspected in attack have been acquitted.

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

The appeal requests that the decision of the acquittal of the 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 the public prosecutors and that his acquittal was against the law.

The attack

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 Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) during a sit-in staged by the PTI and PAT — under Dr Qadri — in Islamabad in August 2014.

The politicians had marched towards the Parliament and PM House in an attempt to topple the then-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. Clashes with the authorities were reported as they made their way towards the destination.

The protest had gone on for more than 100 days.

During the sit-in, protesters beat up then-senior superintendent of police (SSP) Asmatullah Junejo on Constitution Avenue when they attacked the PTV headquarters and parts of the Parliament. A case was then filed against Khan, Qadri, and others for torturing the SSP and five other police officers.

In September 2018, the ATC granted the PTI chief a permanent exemption from appearing before it in cases related to the matter.

Later in October 2020, an anti-terrorism court acquitted the former prime minister in the attack case, while President Alvi was exonerated in March 2022.

Along with President Alvi, the party's top leaders — Qureshi, Umar, Mehmood, Khattak, Shaukat Yousufzai, Aleem Khan, and Aijaz Chauhdry — were among those declared innocent by the ATC.