RAWALPINDI - The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday issued arrest warrants of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief Allama Tahir-ul-Qadri and 95 other leaders and workers for arson, dacoity, attacking, injuring and kidnapping policemen.
ATC Special Judge Chaudhry Abdul Qayyum issued bailable arrest warrants for Qadri along with 11 others PAT workers in a case registered with police station Lillah, Jhelum district, served non-bailable arrest warrants for 84 other PAT workers in a case filed with police station Airport. The court set October 12 and September 26 for next dates of hearing of the cases.
According to details, PAT workers gathered at Lillah Interchange and staged a protest demonstration on the call of Qadri. They annoyed workers and local leaders had attacked and injured police cops. A case (124/14) was registered under sections 7 ATA, 324/365-B/395 with the Lillah police against the PAT chief and 119 others.
Similarly, on June 23, the thousands of PAT workers gathered at Benazir Bhutto Islamabad International Airport to welcome Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri upon his arrival from London. Furious clashes occurred between the PAT workers and police cops after authorities allowed airplane of Qadri to land at the airport and later diverted it to Lahore. As a result, many police cops had got injured and were shifted to hospitals. A case was registered with the airport police.
During hearing of the cases, the court issued bailable arrest warrants of Qadri and 11 others in the Lillah case and asked police to present the accused before the court on October 12. In the airport case, the judge issued non-bailable arrest warrants of 84 PAT workers and instructed police to arrest the culprits and present them before the court on September 26.
A police office of PS Airport, who is interrogating the case, informed The Nation that so far police have arrested 53 accused of PAT and sent them in jail by a court of law. Out of 53, 30 were still under detention in Adyala Jail while the rest were granted bails by Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench.
CAPITAL POLICE SEEK PUBLIC HELP TO IDENTIFY PTV ATTACK ACCUSED
Staff Reporter adds: Islamabad police sought help of public to identify accused involved in attack on the Pakistan Television Headquarters and issued half page advertisement in leading national newspapers carrying pictures of 69 accused attackers.
The police also announced a reward of Rs100,000 for those who would help identify the attackers. The advertisement carried phone number of office of Inspector General of police Islamabad and assured to keep secret the names of those who will provide information in this connection.
On September 1, 2014, scores of people stormed PTV building during march of PTI and PAT towards PM house. According to PTV administration, the attackers occupied building for at least 45 minutes before army removed them out of the building. The PTV administration said that they looted and vandalised valuable transmission equipment, including cameras and ransacked the central newsroom and master control room.
A case registered at the Secretariat Police Station against the attack on the same day while a probe launched into the attack after a few days.
According to Islamabad police officials at least 70 people identified from the footage obtained from the CCTV footage from PTV and various private TV channels. Police also recorded statements of PTV employers present there on the day of attack and higher officials.
According to media reports, police sent footage of 70 recognizable attackers to NADRA, which could only provided details of nine culprits. Two of them were arrested from Lahore on Thursday during joint raids of Lahore and Islamabad police while over two dozens attackers were arrested by police at the entrance and exit points of protest marches at D-Chowk. It is said that majority of the arrested culprits belong to PAT.