In a relief to former prime minister Imran Khan, a district and sessions court in Pakistan acquitted the imprisoned ex-pm and other leaders of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in two vandalism cases.
The verdict of the court in the two cases related to the vandalism during the March 2022 long march came during the hearing of acquittal pleas filed by Khan (71) and other politicians, Geo News reported on Monday.
Other leaders of the party who were acquitted included Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Qasim Suri, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Shireen Mazari, Saifullah Niazi, Zartaj Gul, Ali Nawaz Awan, Faisal Javed, Asad Umar and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad.
In the Kohsar and Karachi Company police stations, the cases against Khan and other politicians were registered for violation of Section 144 imposed by authorities following the detention of the ex-prime minister in an alleged corruption case.
Speaking with journalists here, Khan’s lawyer Naeem Panjotha said the cases against Imran Khan were based on political vengeance.
‘No proof of vandalism‘
No proof of vandalism was found against Khan during the long march, he said. The Islamabad administration did not issue any notification to enforce Section 144 in the capital city, he added. He also stressed that other political leaders were acquitted in the vandalism cases.
Earlier, the court had reserved its verdict in the Long March vandalism case.
The development comes days after a district and sessions court on May 15 acquitted the PTI founder in two cases about the May 9 vandalism.
Khan and many other PTI leaders have been facing various allegations in the cases related to the violence following his arrest on May 9.
On May 16, Islamabad High Court also approved the bail petition of Khan in the 190 million pound National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement case.