ISLAMABAD: In yet another relief to the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a local court in the federal capital on Thursday acquitted the top party leaders including founder Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in vandalism and rioting case related to ‘Azadi March’ in 2022.
Besides the top PTI leaders, the court exonerated Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in the same case as it announced a reserved verdict on their acquittal pleas.
Judicial Magistrate Malik Muhammad Imran pronounced the verdict in the case lodged at I-9 police station of the federal capital related to the protest march launched by the opposition party in 2022, under the charges of vandalism and violation of Section 144.
The district and sessions court also acquitted former PTI leaders Sadaqat Abbasi and Ali Nawaz Awan too in the case.
In November 2022, ‘Azadi March’ led by Khan along with other PTI leaders and supporters was carried out in several cities in Pakistan. The march ended with Khan’s announcement to dissolve the assemblies.
The PTI began its long march toward the federal capital on October 28, 2022 in an attempt to force the coalition government into early elections.
