LAHORE - A judicial magistrate of Cantonment Courts Saturday turned down bail application of three men accused of throwing shoe at ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif at a seminary in Lahore. Judicial Magistrate Talat Mahmood passed the order on technical grounds after an investigation officer said that Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, had been added in the FIR registered against the suspects. Munawar Hussain hurled shoe at Nawaz Sharif when he was about to address the ceremony held at Jamia Naeemia last week. Other two suspects Abdul Ghafoor and Muhammad Sajid also tried to throw the shoes at the former PM but the security personals took them into custody.
At the outset of the proceedings, an investigation officer told the court that Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 was inserted into the FIR besides other sections. He said after Section 7 of ATA, 1997, the magisterial court had no jurisdiction to hear the bail applications. The petitioners’ counsel also said the magisterial court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter after insertion of 7-ATA in the FIR.
Qila Gujjar Singh police booked them under Section 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, Section 504 (criminal intimidation) of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 16 of Maintenance of Public Order besides 7-ATA of 1997.
According to the police, the suspects were the former students of Jamia Naeemia and had religiously been motivated to attack former PM Nawaz Sahrif at the ceremony.