ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police have ‘surreptitiously’ withdrawn the FIRs registered against the leadership and activists of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah during the Faizabad sit-in, reliable sources confirmed to The Nation.
The sources said that the development came after the Punjab government held ‘successful negotiations’ with the TLYR leadership to end their 11 days sit-in in Lahore.
Of 14 FIRs, nine FIRs were registered with the Industrial Area police, two FIRs with the Khanna police and one each with Koral and the Police Station-1 Area.
In November 2017, the TLYR blocked the Faizabad interchange for three weeks, resulting in clashes, loss of life and property. During the sit-in, the police had registered the FIRs against TLYR leaders and workers. The sit-in was called off after the army brokered an agreement between the government and the TLYR leadership.
The TLYR later staged a sit-in in Lahore after an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad issued arrest warrants for TLYR leaders Khadim Hussain Rizvi and others and Rizvi was declared a proclaimed offender in the Faizabad sit-in case after he failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons.
The sources, however, denied confirming whether the FIRs were withdrawn with the permission of a district magistrate as required under Section 494 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
According to Sec 494 of CrPC, “any public prosecutor may, with the consent of the court, before the judgment is pronounced, withdraw from the prosecution of any person either generally or in respect of any one or more of the offences for which he is tried; and upon such withdrawal, (a) if it is made before a charge has been framed, the accused shall be discharged in respect of such offence or offences; (b) if it is made after a charge has been framed, or when under this Code no charge is required, he shall be acquitted in respect of such offence or offences.”
A day earlier, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Mushir Alam and comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa had taken up the matter for hearing but the bench was not informed about the latest development by the prosecution.
In the Industrial Area Police Station, an FIR dated November 9 had been registered against Meer Afzal Qadri, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, Maulana Anayat, Maulana Ajmal, Sheikh Zaheer, Waheed Anwar, Muhammad Anwar, Shahbaz Ahmad, Muhammad Azam, Muhammad Aslam, Amad Biniameen and others.
At the same PS, another FIR was registered against accused persons including Muhammad Anwar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Muhammad Azam, Qari Muhammad Aslam and Amad Binyameen. This FIR was registered on an application a journalist of Kohinoor Channel wherein he complained that he was assaulted during the coverage.
In the third FIR lodged with the same PS, Meer Afzal Qadri, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, Maulana Anayat, Maulana Ajmal, Sheikh Zaheer had been nominated.
In two separate FIRs lodged with PS Khanna, Pir Afzal Qadri, Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi, Maulana Inayat, Maulana Ajmal, Azhar Waheed (candidate NA-126) and Waheed Anwar had been nominated.
The FIRs also named other workers and followers of Rizvi, but the investigation in all the FIRs were pending.
On April 16 an anti-terrorism court adjourned the hearing in cases against Rizvi and others sine die.
The police had submitted an application informing the court that the department was carrying out a fresh investigation on the orders of ‘superior authorities’ to bring true facts on record. Accepting the prosecutor’s plea, the court had adjourned the hearing in the cases for an indefinite period.