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Imran, Qadri declared proclaimed offenders in SSP attack case
* PAT chief rejects JIT; demands Punjab CM should resign first and Punjab Police officers be removed from investigation committee * Qadri likely to return on 20thISLAMABAD: Islamabad’s Special Anti-Terrorism Court on Friday declared Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan proclaimed offenders in a case pertaining to the assault on SSP Islamabad Ismatullah Junejo.
The same court on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for both the politicians who led thousands of their supporters for protest sit-in in Islamabad at the end of August, calling for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation. During the sit-in, the PTI and PAT demonstrators clashed with police, assaulted SSP Junejo and attempted to storm the Parliament House and briefly took over state broadcaster PTV, taking its news channel off air for a while. No arrests had been made so far, but cases had been registered under anti-terrorism laws.
Meanwhile, Qadri has rejected the newly formed six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of the Punjab government to probe the Model Town incident. Addressing a press conference at Minhajul Quran Secretariat from Canada via video link on Friday, Qadir said, “PAT will not accept any JIT till Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s resignation and removal of the Punjab Police officers from the investigation committee.” He said that there is no difference between the old seven-member JIT and the newly formed committee because it is not impartial, and is a “pocket calendar team”. He remarked that the prime minister and Punjab chief minister should personally appoint the head of the JIT and have it take a decision in their favour.
“Blood of the Model Town martyrs will not go in vain and we will take justice and revenge from the killers,” Qadri said, adding that the “killers should not be given the right to investigate their own case”. He said that Quetta CCPO Abdul Razaaq Cheema, a close friend of the Sharif family, has been made the head of the JIT. The Punjab government, he added, appointed Cheema to befool the nation. The PAT chief said that Cheema actually belongs to Punjab where he was appointed and promoted. “A transparent and fair investigation not possible in the present of Punjab chief minister,” Qadri claimed, adding that the aggrieved party does not accept the new JIT. On the other hand, PAT Punjab spokesperson Raheeq Abbasi has announced that Qadri will return to the country on November 20.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk