Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Yasmin Rashid was discharged from the Jinnah House attack case on Saturday.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore announced the verdict and rejected the police’s plea seeking physical remand of the PTI leader. According to a copy of the court order, the investigating officer had requested 14-day physical remand of Dr Rashid for photogrammetry, voice match tests and recovery of mobile phones. It added that “perusal of record” revealed that neither Dr Rashid is nominated in the first information report (FIR) nor involved through supplementary statement. She was summoned in this case on the disclosure of co-accused which has no “evidentiary value in the eye of law”. “Since no incriminating material is available on record to connect her with the commission of offence, therefore, request of investigating officer is turned down and she is accordingly discharged from instant case,” the order added.

The order further said that the PTI leader be released immediately “if not required in any other case”. She was arrested by the Lahore police on May 17, under Section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) following countrywide violent protests.

Subsequently, the cases against Dr Rashid were registered at Sarwar Road, Gulberg, and Shadman police stations in Lahore for her alleged involvement in the riots. The cases also included sections related to terrorism and other serious charges.

Last week, the anti-terrorism court had sent her to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

In an unprecedented show of vandalism on May 9, protestors allegedly belonging to the PTI vandalised public and private properties and even attacked the Army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence, a historic building which was once the Lahore residence of the founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

The attack took place hours after paramilitary Rangers personnel arrested PTI chairman Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, later retitled as the £190 million National Crime Agency scandal, on the orders of the National Accountability Bureau, from the Islamabad High Court premises.

The rioting was followed by a harsh crackdown against the former ruling party leaders and workers that still continues. Several senior PTI leaders have since been arrested, and many have dissociated themselves from the former ruling party.

However, Yasmin Rashid was among the leaders still standing firm with deposed prime minister Imran Khan.