ATC orders discharge of all PTI workers in long march cases

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Saturday ordered the discharge of all Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers arrested in cases registered in connection with the party’s long march.

ATC Judge Abul Hasanat Zulqarnain issued the order in cases registered at Shalimar and Secretariat police stations after rejecting a request by the investigation officer for more time to conduct identification parades.

During the hearing, PTI lawyers Sardar Masroof, Murtaza Turi and Zahid Bashir Dar argued that more than 40 days had passed since the workers’ arrests, but police continued to seek adjournments and were not producing the workers before the court.

The lawyers maintained that the workers were innocent and urged the court to enforce its previous order.

They also accused police of arbitrarily arresting people and portraying them as PTI workers.

Accepting the defence’s arguments and request, the court rejected the investigating officer’s plea for an adjournment and ordered the discharge of all PTI workers in the cases in which they had been sent to judicial custody for identification parades.