Controversial statement: Court rejects plea for case against Achakzai

LAHORE: An additional district and sessions court on Saturday dismissed a petition, seeking registration of a criminal case against Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai over his alleged controversial statement at Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) public meeting in Lahore.

The judge, in its order, said prima facie remarks of Mehmood Achakzai were not intended to cause feelings of enmity or hatred between different racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities. Before airing his grievance, Achakzai apologised several times, he emphasised the need for forging unity and harmony among different groups by removing underlying causes of disharmony, and ended his speech by delivering slogans eulogising not only different groups of people of Pakistan including Lahoris and Punjabis e.g. ‘Long live Punjabis’ and ‘Long Live Lahore’ and Long Live People of Lahore, the judge added. Therefore, prima facie, Achakzai’s speech appears to be not an offence falling within the scope of Section 153A of the PPC, the court order concluded. In this case, the petitioner had argued that Achakzai alleged that the people of Lahore sided with the British against Afghans in the past, during a PDM meeting in Lahore. He contended that Achakzai attempted to promote hate through his speech and it also hurt the feelings of people. The petitioner had implored the court to register a case against Achakzai. However, the court dismissed the petition.