Faizabad sit-in case: Khadim Hussain Rizvi declared absconder

ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday declared Tehreek-e-Labbaik leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi as an absconder in the Faizabad sit-in case for failing to appear before the court after repeated summons.

Workers of a religious party had protested against the government at the Faizabad Interchange of Islamabad for around three weeks in November last year, bringing the capital to a standstill. Rizvi, along with other leaders, Maulana Afzal Qadri, Maulana Inayat and Sheikh Izhar were also declared as absconders by the court.

The ATC court also stated that if the accused were not produced in court within the next 30 days, they would be declared as proclaimed offenders, Geo News reported. The orders were issued by the ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand. During the hearing of the case, the prosecutor also stated that all four accused have cases registered against their person but have failed to appear before the court. The police were also instructed by the court to submit the challan in the next hearing, which is scheduled for March 19.

The religious party had protested against an amendment in the elections bill, which was later reversed by the government, and ended its protest after an agreement was reached with the government, which included the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid.