Pak court acquits Imran Khan in two cases related to vandalism during his anti-govt march

Islamabad, Mar 19 (PTI) In some relief to Imran Khan, a court in Pakistan on Tuesday acquitted the jailed former prime minister in two different cases related to the incidents of vandalism during his anti-government long march in March 2022.

District and Sessions Court Judicial Magistrate Shaista Kundi accepted Khan’s petitions and acquitted him in cases registered at Islamabad’s Lohi Bhair and Sahala police stations, Geo News reported.

“Several cases were registered in a single day, PTI’s founder was [framed] in the same role,” Khan’s lawyer, Advocate Naeem Panjotha, argued.

He added that neither a notification was issued nor the party was informed regarding the enforcement of a prohibitory order under Section 144. The lawyer maintained that the plaintiff is the Station House Officer (SHO), who has no jurisdiction to register the case.

“There are no witness statements in the cases filed against the PTI founder,” he further argued.

The judicial magistrate asked the counsel if Khan had been acquitted in cases before, responding to which he said: “Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder had been acquitted in several cases even earlier.”

Following the arguments by the former premier’s counsel, the court reserved the verdict, which was announced later.

Khan is currently imprisoned in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail as he serves several sentences in the Toshakana, un-Islamic marriage, and the cipher cases.

Khan took out a long march demanding snap polls after his ouster from power in 2022. The march was suspended after a failed assassination attempt on Khan’s life.