May 9 riots: JIT declares 16 PTI workers innocent

Lahore: The embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) got a huge relief on Saturday when the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which was constituted to investigate May 9 vandalism, declared 16 PTI workers innocent.

Justice Manzar Ali Gill of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Lahore heard the case where 39 PTI workers whose interim bails were expired, had appeared before the court.

The JIT submitted its investigative report to the court in which it termed 16 people innocent which include Muhammad Rafique, Muhammad Aasif, Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Hamza, Shahid Hussain, Shehroz Khan, Shahid Ali, Shahid Basheer, Shah Khalid, Muhammad Tauqeer, Farhan Ali, Moazzam Ali, Muhammad Khalid, Ghulam Murtaza, Muhammad Asif Ali and Faisal Iftikhar.

In light of the JIT report, respondents’ lawyers pleaded to withdraw pleas of interim bails of those termed innocent.

The court accepted the pleas while extending the interim bails till Nov 29.