ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad has decided to merge former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s plea for acquittal in the May 9 riots case with other pending appeals, signalling that the legal proceedings surrounding the violent unrest are far from over.
Presided over by Judicial Magistrate Shehzad Khan, the court was hearing the case registered at the Tarnol Police Station. Qureshi’s counsel, Ali Bukhari, argued that several co-accused in the same case had already been acquitted earlier this year and that the charges against his client should therefore also be dismissed.
However, rather than issuing an immediate verdict, the court decided to reserve its ruling and club Qureshi’s plea with other similar acquittal applications linked to the May 9 incidents. The move suggests a consolidated approach to handling politically sensitive cases stemming from the unrest that followed the former premier’s arrest last year.
Legal experts note that while this consolidation could streamline proceedings, it might also delay individual judgments for those seeking swift relief.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.