An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore has rejected the police’s request to carry out polygraph and photogrammetric tests on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder in connection with 12 cases linked to the May 9 riots.
Following the PTI founder's arrest on May 9, 2023, alleged party workers launched violent protests across the country. They attacked public properties, including military installations, prompting the civil and military leadership to decide to try the rioters under the Army Act.
The ATC judge rejected the prosecution’s fresh plea, noting that the court had already granted the police permission twice, but they failed to conduct polygraph and photogrammetric tests on the accused. The court questioned the prosecution on how it planned to proceed with the investigation given the accused’s repeated refusal.
The court remarked that the authorities had given the accused two chances to prove his innocence, but he wasted them by remaining uncooperative. The ATC ruled that granting him a third opportunity would only waste the court’s time.
The court further noted that this case is unusual, as the accused has shown no willingness to prove his own innocence, making additional chances for the tests unnecessary. The ATC then directed the investigation officer to complete the probe using all legal procedures.
Earlier, “The News” reported that the former Prime Minister once again refused to undergo a forensic test and declined to cooperate with investigators in the May 9 cases.
Sources in Adiala Jail stated that a Lahore Police investigation team, led by DSP Asif Javed, arrived at the prison following the ATC's directives.
The 15-member delegation, including officers from the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory, arrived to conduct several examinations, such as a polygraph test, photogrammetric analysis, and voice matching.
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