Daily Times

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday allowed police to arrest and investigate Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in connection with the Jinnah House attack case.

ATC Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar passed the orders while accepting an application filed by a deputy inspector general of police (Investigation) for the purpose.

The DIG (who was also the convener of the joint investigation team) had submitted that the PTI chairman was nominated in the Jinnah House attack case. He submitted that Islamabad’s sessions court had convicted the PTI chairman in connection with a complaint under Section 190 of the Election Act, 2017 and he was lodged at Attock jail. He submitted that Imran Khan’s arrest was required for investigations of the Jinnah House case. He pleaded with the court to grant permission to arrest and investigate the PTI chairman, confined at Attock Jail.

The Sarwar Road police had registered a case against PTI leaders and workers for attacking the Jinnah House (the corps commander house) in Lahore Cantt, looting valuables worth over Rs150 million and setting it on fire, during May-9 riots. The case had been registered under Sections 302, 324,34, 395, 436, 452, 440, 427, 353, 186,290,291, 153, 152, 148, 149, 147, 109, 505, 120-B of Pakistan Penal Code besides Section 7 of Anti-terrorism Act.

It is pertinent to mention here that Hassaan Niazi, Khan’s nephew and his focal person on legal affairs, has already been handed over to a military court for trial, a police report submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC) on August 18 stated.