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ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP):The lower court of Islamabad on Friday reserved verdicts in the first two cases filed under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order (PAPO) Act against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) workers for disrupting public order during a protest on November 26, 2022.
Judicial Magistrate Ahmad Shehzad Gondal completed the trial of eight accused PTI workers involved in two separate cases registered under the PAPO Act. Both cases were filed at Ramna Police Station following the PTI protest in the federal capital.
The PAPO Act was introduced by the federal government to restrict protests in Islamabad without prior permission. If the charges are proven, the court can sentence the accused to imprisonment and fines.
On January 22 and March 3, 2025, the court formally charged the accused. PTI’s counsel Ilyas Siddiqui cross-examined the prosecution witnesses during the proceedings. Special Public Prosecutor Muhammad Usman Rana represented the state.
The trial process faced delays due to the unavailability of PTI lawyers. The trial court appointed state counsels twice during the hearings, but both appointments were later nullified on appeal.
Both cases were registered at Islamabad’s Ramna Police Station. In total, over 80 people were nominated as accused in these cases. More than 70 of them have already been declared absconders by the court.
The trial proceedings, however, were completed only against eight of the accused. The court will now announce its verdict against these eight individuals on July 23.
In the two cases, the prosecution presented testimony from a total of 25 witnesses β 12 witnesses in case number 977 and 13 in case number 976.