- Ex-PM Demonstrated reluctance, unwillingness, says Court.
- Imran Khan cites lawyer for his non-participation.
- Court declared Khan as “Given-up witness ”and closed the case.
Islamabad: The lawsuit against Wazirabad -firing incident, an assault attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, concluded without testimony to its most crucial witness – Khan himself.
His absence from the witness level has given rise to extensive speculation, especially considering his public accusations against the supreme government and military officials for having orchestrated the attack.
Muhammad Naveed, the most important accused in the case, was convicted on April 26 by an anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala to two living conditions of the murder of PTI supporter Moazzam Gondal and of injuring many others in November 3, 2022, attacked. While Khan was exposed to gunshot wounds, Naveed was not convicted of directly harming the former prime minister.
A detailed judgment of the court sheds light on Khan’s consistent rejection of registering his statement despite repeated efforts from the prosecution.
The court noted that the trial was primarily extended due to Khan’s reluctance to testify. He was called in several times and offered the opportunity to appear via video link, but the court’s list shows that Khan cited the inaccessibility of his legal adviser every time as the reason for his non-participation.
“In this regard, letters and applications for the prosecution are on a record,” the verdict states. “But the aforementioned witness [Imran Khan] demonstrated reluctance, unwillingness and conscious avoidance when registering his declaration before this court ‘.
The judgment also notes that despite “all hectic efforts” and repeated requests from the prosecution of the court to adopt coercive measures, Khan’s statement could not be acquired. In the end, the court declared him a “abandoned witness” that closes the prosecutor’s case without his testimony.
The court criticized Khan’s behavior and said, “The lawsuit against this high -profile case lingered because of the behavior of the last prosecution, namely Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, who has been placed on the post.”
The incident took place during a PTI rally in Wazirabad, where Khan was shot in the leg. In his demand, Khan publicly accused the then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and senior military chief Major General Faisal Naseer of planning to murder him. He claimed to have recorded a video named those to be released in the event of his death.
While Naveed was convicted of terrorism and murder, two co-accused-Tayyab Jahangir Butt and Waqas-freedom became due to lack of evidence. Alongside the lifetime sentences, Naveed received additional prison conditions from three to five years for injuring four other people and fined RS500,000.
Originally published in the news
