PESHAWAR: The five-member larger bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, on Monday directed the police to arrest all the culprits behind Sindh House attack.
The order was issued by the bench while hearing the presidential reference for interpretation of Article 63-A of the constitution.
Raising the issue, Advocate General Sindh said that anti-terrorism provisions were not added to the FIR [First Information Report]. However, the Advocate General Islamabad said that terrorism provisions cannot be applied in this case. The Chief Justice remarked that government should take legal action on this matter and the Sindh government can approach the Sessions Court. The Supreme Court benched ordered the arrest of all culprits behind Sindh House attack.
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Later, the PPP leaders while talking to the media outside the Supreme Court thanked the Supreme Court for ordering the arrest of those who attacked Sindh House. “After the attack on Parliament Lodges, we asked the federal government to provide security to Sindh house,” the PPP leaders told the media. The PPP said that Supreme Court has ordered the immediate arrest culprits in the case.
The Federal Interior ministry has registered FIR against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf activists for attack however they were released on personal bail by the area magistrate.
The PTI workers, along with two national assembly members, were charged with interfering in government affairs, damaging government property and violation of section-144. They had stormed Sindh House on 18 March and broke the doors and vandalized government properties. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto had termed the attack on Sindh House in Islamabad as an ‘attack on Sindh’. Bilawal said that the attack on Sindh House was an “act of terrorism’.
Former President Asif Ali Zardari also alleged that if Imran Khan had the required numbers for no-confidence motion, he will have shown his power in the House instead of attacking Parliament Lodges and Sindh House.