PESHAWAR:
The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has postponed the hearing in the case of former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial minister Kamran Bangash due to absence of prosecution witnesses.
The case concerns allegations of shooting of police officers. The court has now ordered that the witnesses be present at the next hearing, scheduled for February 10.
The former provincial minister was charged in the case last week. However, he refused to plead guilty, leading to the start of his trial.
On Monday, although Justice Asad Ali of the ATC began the hearing, the prosecution witnesses did not appear in court and their statements could not be recorded.
According to the prosecution, a dramatic turn of events occurred on December 20, 2023 when the Chamkani police station raided the guest house of Kamran Bangash in an attempt to apprehend the fugitive PTI leader Murad Saeed.
Unfortunately, the situation took a violent turn, with two police officers injured after the group of police officers came under fire.
Police later filed a case against Kamran Bangash and his associates on charges including terrorism.
After thorough investigation, the police then submitted the challan to the court, paving the way for the trial against Bangash to begin.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 10.
On January 12, the ATC indicted the PTI chief in the case of firing on a group of policemen.
In October 2023, Bangash was taken into custody.
The arrest took place in the immediate vicinity of Bangash’s residence, located near the Peshawar highway toll plaza, shortly after authorities received information about his whereabouts. The operation took place in the presence of police officers.
