ISLAMABAD:
The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has accepted the appeal of Radio Pakistan Peshawar seeking transfer of the trial of the case related to the May 9, 2023 violence to Islamabad or another province for preliminary hearing and issued notices to all parties in the case.
A two-member FCC bench, comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Arshad Hussain, also stayed the proceedings at the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) until further orders.
The plea, filed by advocate Syed Zulfqar Abbas Naqvi, said 74 suspects, including Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Fazal Elahi, Samiullah, Adeel Ahmed, Mina Khan, Arbab Wasim and Asif Khan, have been named in the case.
He claims that provincial ministers and members of the provincial assembly are trying to influence legal proceedings. The provincial cabinet has reportedly approved the postponement of prosecutions in cases related to the May 9 and 10 incidents.
Furthermore, the KP chairman formed a parallel special commission to investigate the events of May 9, which included several suspects named in the attack case. This notification was later declared invalid by the Peshawar High Court.
The appeal further said that the verification of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Taimoor Saleem, Kamran Bangash, Irfan Saleem and Amir Khan was completed by the Punjab Forensic Laboratory and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
The appeal highlights that prosecution witnesses face threats. He requested the court that the trial be held in Islamabad or another province to ensure impartiality.
Radio Pakistan Peshawar pointed out that the involvement of senior officials and assembly members in the matter had created interference in the legal proceedings, which led to a demand for transfer.
