Judge Malik Ijaz Asif of the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court dismissed the Punjab government’s plea, decided to continue the hearing, and scheduled arguments on the acquittal petitions for April 30.
In the ATC court handling cases from the May 9 riots, Judge Asif dismissed the reference, which he identified as an inappropriate attempt to stall court proceedings for undisclosed objectives. The judge noted that the complaints within the reference were directed towards the jail authorities rather than the judiciary, which he highlighted in his order rejecting the prosecutor’s request to halt the hearing.
The order emphasized that the judiciary must uphold the rule of law and remain impartial under all circumstances. Consequently, the public prosecutor’s request was denied.
This decision is particularly noteworthy as the Punjab government filed the reference against Judge Asif, who presides over cases involving PTI leaders linked to incidents on May 9. Despite the scheduled court session on Wednesday, the judge adjourned the proceedings until April 30 without conducting them.
At the adjourned session, PTI leaders included Sheikh Rashid, Shahryar Afridi, Zartaj Gul, Ajmal Sabir, Samabia Tahir, and Raja Basharat. The distribution of the charge sheets among the accused remained incomplete, leading to the PTI leaders leaving the court following the adjournment.
