ISLAMABAD -  Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad Friday issued directions for seizure of properties belonging to Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri for their continuous failure to appear before the court in hearings of terrorism cases registered against them.

ATC judge Sohail Ikram issued notices to the police and revenue department to seize properties of the two absconders, who face charges of destroying properties in the Red Zone, attacking the state TV channel’s building and injuring a senior police officer.

The court also directed the concerned SHOs to produce both the suspects before the court on the next hearing of the case.

It was February 3 when an ATC had issued perpetual arrest warrants of Imran Khan and Qadri in the case related to an attack on a senior police officer during the 2014 sit-in which had paralysed Islamabad.

The ATC judge had issued the perpetual arrest warrants after police submitted a report stating the suspects could not be arrested despite a proclamation being issued.

During the sit-ins in 2014, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asmatullah Junejo was beaten up by protesters on the Constitution Avenue on his first day on job as SSP Operations of ICT Police.

Later, Secretariat police had registered a case against several PTI and PAT workers for their alleged involvement in vandalism and attacking SSP Junejo.

The ATC had issued warrants for Imran Khan and Qadri with directions to the police to produce them before the court. However, police had informed the ATC that the execution of the arrest warrants for the two politicians could not be carried out as they were not found at their residence.

Police also submitted a report before the ATC, saying a police party had gone to the residence of Imran Khan in Bani Gala where a security guard informed them that Imran Khan was not at home and that he did not know where he was. A similar report was also submitted with regard to PAT Chairman Tahirul Qadri.