An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday indicted 55 workers of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in a case involving murder, attack on police personnel and arson during violent protests in the Shahdara area.
The court framed charges against the accused, who pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the allegations. Following the indictment, the court summoned prosecution witnesses to record their statements and adjourned further proceedings until June 24.
ATC Judge Shahid Sikandar conducted the hearing. The prosecution informed the court that it had already submitted the challan in the case registered at Shahdara police station.
During the hearing, 53 detained accused were produced from jail, while two suspects who had obtained bail appeared before the court in compliance with attendance requirements.
The accused include Muhammad Asghar, Tayyab Khan, Naveed Ahmad Naimat, Muhammad Yaqoob, Karim Bakhsh, Muhammad Hussain, Sher Khan, Ali Raza, Shafiq Ahmad, Malik Muhammad Hamza, Mehboob Elahi, Sharif-ul-Hassan, Subh Sadiq, Usman Muzaffar and Umair Jahangir, among others.
According to the prosecution, Shahdara police registered FIR No. 4979/25 against the suspects. They are charged with murder, violence against police officials, and involvement in rioting and arson during the protests.