Haleem Adil, Ali Zaidi indicted for rioting at City Courts

A judicial magistrate on Tuesday indicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Ali Zaidi in a case pertaining to rioting on the City Courts premises.

The former lawmakers, along with PTI workers, were booked under rioting and criminal intimidation charges after they allegedly resorted to hooliganism and obstructed police officials from performing their duty when former prime minister Imran Khan's nephew Hassan Niazi was brought to the City Courts by the Jamshed Quarters police in March last year.

As the case came up for hearing before the District South’s judicial magistrate-XII, Adil was produced from the central prison while Zaidi appeared on bail.

The magistrate expressed displeasure over Zaidi for being late to the courtroom. The IPP leader submitted an application for condonation of his late appearance. The court approved the plea, with a warning to Zaidi to be on time in future.

The magistrate read out the charges against both the politicians, who pleaded not guilty and opted to contest them. Subsequently, the court directed the prosecution to present its witnesses for recording of their statements on the next hearing set for January 6.

On December 19, 2023, a sessions court had confirmed the interim bail granted to Zaidi in the present case.

An FIR was lodged under the sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the City Courts police station on the complaint of a police official.

The investigation officer of the case had produced Niazi before a District East judicial magistrate in a case lodged against him at the Jamshed Quarters police station. He was later discharged by the court.