The local court of Islamabad has reserved its verdict on the acquittal plea of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and other prominent leaders in the long march vandalism case.
The acquittal case, which pertains to alleged vandalism during a protest march on May 25, 2023, was heard in the District and Sessions Court of Islamabad.
Among the suspects in the case are Imran Khan, Sheikh Rashid, Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan, and Raja Khurram. In a courtroom presided over by Judicial Magistrate Malik Imran, Sheikh Rashid, Ali Nawaz Awan, and Sadaqat Abbasi appeared, accompanied by defence lawyers Sardar Masroof, Amna Ali, Rizwan Awan, and Mirza Asim.
During the hearing, the lawyers took the stand and presented an acquittal application, stating that the case lacks evidence and was registered over violation of Section 144. He argued that there is no CCTV footage or concrete evidence presented in the case, and it was not registered by the plaintiff concerned.
In response, the judge remarked that the challans have been submitted to the court. However, the defence lawyer reiterated the lack of evidence in the case and urged for arguments to be heard on the acquittal application.
The court subsequently fixed the date of June 6 for the verdict while reserving the decision on the plea of acquittal. The judgment will be simultaneously pronounced on the plea of acquittal for all the suspects involved in the case.
