ATC withdraws non-bailable arrest warrants for Marriyum Aurangzeb

Lahore: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday withdrew non-bailable arrest warrants for PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb after she appeared before the court in connection with a 2022 terror case.

ATC Judge Abher Gul Khan heard the case, and directed both sides to come up with the arguments on the case and put off further hearing till January 6, 2024.

 The warrants had been issued on Nov 25 due to Aurangzeb's repeated non-attendance at hearings related to the case.

The case, initiated on Sep 19, 2022, implicated Aurangzeb and senior PML-N leader Javed Latif for allegedly "using religion to instil and spread hatred" against PTI chief and former prime minister Imran Khan, who was in office at the time. The complaint was filed by a local mosque imam at Green Town Police Station, accusing Latif of making disturbing accusations against Imran Khan in a press conference on Sep 14.

Accompanied by their legal team, both Aurangzeb and Latif appeared before ATC Judge Abher Gul Khan. The court instructed authorities to provide a copy of the Islamabad High Court order regarding the plea of the nominated suspects.

In response to Aurangzeb's request for acquittal, the court directed both the prosecutor and the defendant's counsel to present their arguments in the upcoming hearing. The proceedings were adjourned until January 6.

Following the hearing, Aurangzeb spoke to reporters, claiming that former premier Imran Khan had concocted baseless cases against her and other opposition politicians. She urged Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated, to address allegations of corruption in the Al Qadir Trust case.

Javed Latif was booked over charges of using religious card against Imran Khan. Latif had accused him of attacking the basic principles of Islam by allegedly supporting the Ahmediyya community during his tenure.

The complaint said that Latif's remarks were to incite followers, create a law and order situation, and were made at the behest of the party leadership, including Aurangzeb, to spread religious hatred against Imran Khan.