ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad has issued arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Abdul Latif and six other convicts, directing authorities to immediately take them into custody.
The court ordered the arrests after seven of the 11 individuals convicted in connection with the May 9 riots failed to appear before the court. Only four convicts were detained in the courtroom during the proceedings.
Presiding over the case on Saturday, ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra instructed the Station House Officer (SHO) of Ramna Police Station to execute the arrest warrants and ensure that the absconders are handed over to the relevant prison authorities without delay.
A day earlier, the ATC sentenced MNA Abdul Latif and four others to 27 years in prison for their involvement in the violent attack on Islamabad’s Ramna Police Station during the May 9 riots.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs327,000 on each convict. The sentences will run concurrently, as per the court’s ruling.
MNA Abdul Latif, elected from NA-1 Chitral, was absent during the announcement of the verdict. As a result of the conviction, he also faces disqualification from holding public office for five years.
Judge Sipra noted that 20 witnesses, including magistrates, testified against the accused. He emphasised that protests must remain peaceful and condemned the act of attacking state institutions.
“You have been found guilty of attacking the Ramna Police Station. If citizens start targeting their security institutions, the country will become ungovernable,” he remarked.
The FIR filed at Ramna Police Station included various charges, including arson of a motorcycle and assault on law enforcement personnel.
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