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LAHORE, Apr 23 (APP):An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday dropped terrorism charges from a vandalism case involving 77 leaders and workers of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and ordered the transfer of the case to a sessions court for further proceedings.
ATC Judge Irfan Haider announced the decision while accepting an application filed by the accused seeking the removal of charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that the police had included terrorism charges in the case whereas it did not fall under the purview of the ATA, citing the prosecution’s failure to produce key evidence — including medical reports of the injured police officials and documentation of the damaged vehicles.
The court, agreeing with the defence, ruled that the case did not merit terrorism charges and directed all accused to appear before the sessions court on April 30 for the next hearing.
The case was originally registered by the Kot Lakhpat police in 2021. Prominent TLP figures, including Hafeezullah Jan, Ahmad Raza Butt, Shahid Butt, Qalb Ameer, Sheikh Saleem, Abu Bakr, and Abrar Afzal, were among those nominated in the FIR.