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ISLAMABAD, Apr 22 (APP):The lower court of Islamabad on Tuesday imposed fines on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf(PTI) defendants for failing to cross-examine witnesses in two protest-related cases.
On today’s hearing, Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas has fined each accused in two cases linked to the November 26 protest, registered at Ramna Police Station. The fine of Rs3,000 per accused was imposed due to the defense lawyers’ failure to cross-examine prosecution witnesses.
During the hearing, defense lawyer Ali Bukhari and others appeared in court on behalf of the accused.
Bukhari informed the court that a transfer application for the case was already filed, and requested that proceedings be paused until a decision on that application is issued.
The prosecution, led by lawyer Usman Rana, opposed the request. This led to a tense exchange between the two sides.
Rana said the court is not required to wait for a transfer decision before continuing hearings. Bukhari responded that the court must ensure a fair process and claimed that proceedings without addressing the transfer plea would compromise justice.
He also told the prosecutor to consult his seniors before making such statements, to which Rana replied that he had already done so.
Meanwhile, PTI’s lawyer Fatahullah Barki alleged that statements of witnesses were being altered. The judge remarked that Barki had not officially submitted a power of attorney in the case and instructed him to remain silent. The court clarified that no directions had been received from the sessions court to halt the hearings or delay a decision.
The court, while penalizing the accused for the lack of cross-examination, directed PTI’s lawyers to conduct cross-questioning without fail at the next hearing. Further proceedings in both cases were postponed until the following day.
The cases against PTI members were registered under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, following a protest held on November 26.