GHQ attack case: Arguments on statements of various accused completed

RAWALPINDI. The Anti-Terrorism Court Rawalpindi heard acquittal plea of the accused in GHQ gate attack case.

Arguments of parties on acquittal pleas of accused Umar Tanvir Butt, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi completed. The court reserved verdict on acquittal plea of the accused.

Arguments on acquittal plea of Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Tahir Sadiq, Shireen Mazari also completed. Also, arguments on acquittal plea of Gul Asghar, Azimuddin, Shakeel Niazi, Azam Niazi were also completed.

Public Prosecutor Zaheer Shah argued in the court that any acquittal verdict at this stage might affect the prosecution’s testimony.

The prosecution has the right to fair trial, along with the accused, he added. He said the prosecution should also be given right to present evidence.

A petition, filed in Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench against Amjad Niazi’s acquittal by the Sargodha court, had been challenged, the prosecution said adding that certified copies of the petition had been filed in the court.

The cases in Sargodha and Rawalpindi had been registered under different provisions; their places of occurrences were also different, the public prosecutor stated.

“There is no legal bar on Amjad Niazi’s trial,” he added. The accused’s acquittal application was heard by Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the Anti-Terrorism Court, Rawalpindi, on Wednesday.