PESHAWAR:
The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has postponed hearing the case of Kamran Bangash, former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial minister, due to the absence of prosecution witnesses.
The case involves accusations of shots fired at police personnel. The court has now ordered witnesses to be present at the next hearing, scheduled for February 10.
The former provincial minister was charged in the case last week. He, however, refused to plead guilty, which led to the start of his trial.
On Monday, although Justice Asad Ali had started 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 Kamran Bangash’s guest house in an attempt to arrest fugitive PTI leader Murad Saeed.
Unfortunately, the situation took a violent turn and two police officers were injured after they fired on the police group.
Police later registered a case against Kamran Bangash and his associates on charges including terrorism.
After a thorough investigation, the police submitted the challan before 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 charged the PTI leader in the case of shooting at a police convoy.
In October 2023, Bangash was taken into police custody.
The arrest took place very close to Bangash’s residence, located near the Peshawar highway toll plaza, shortly after authorities received information about his whereabouts. The operation was carried out in the presence of female police officers.
