ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Peshawar on Wednesday acquitted Pashtun Human Rights (HR) activist Gulalai Ismail’s parents hled on charges of sedition, terror financing and facilitation.
ATC Judge Fazal Sattar while announcing the verdict declared that charges against Prof Mohammad Ismail and his wife null and void.
After the judgment was issued, Prof Ismail said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had hired a senior lawyer to pursue the case. The professor added that he and his spouse have recorded 167 appearances in the ATC since January 2021.
While taking notice of the controversial arrest, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor also said that she was closely following the verdict in the case.
“I’ll be following closely the verdict expected tomorrow for prominent Pakistani human rights defender Mohammad Ismail, who faces charges of sedition, conspiracy, terrorism & terror financing,” said she in a post.
Earlier, Prof Ismail’s self-exiled daughter who is also Founder of Youth Peace Network and Aware Girls, Gulalai Ismail announced acquittal on social media.
“Today Peshawar anti-terrorism court acquitted my parents in the fake & malafide case of sedition, terrorism & conspiracy against the state after more than 3 years of harassment and innumerable court appearances. I am thankful to those who stood with us during this difficult time,” she held in her tweet.
Prof Ismail’s release is the second in a row, as a day earlier on Tuesday another controversial arrest was set aside in Karachi when Member of the National Assembly (MNA) and leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) Ali Wazir was released from Central Jail Karachi on Tuesday.
Wazir was arrested in December 2020 for allegedly inciting hate against the state institutions, delivering provocative speeches, and treason. He was arrested from Peshawar and shifted to Karachi.
He, along with some other party leaders, was booked in four identical cases registered at Sohrab Goth, Shah Latif Town, and Boat Basin police stations under sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) pertaining to the said charges.
Wazir’s counsel, Qadir Khan announced that his client would be released from jail Wednesday evening.
He was booked not only in Sindh but also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), said Qadir Khan adding, in KP alone, 14 cases were registered against his client. The Peshawar High Court had barred the police from arresting the MNA in 11 cases, while he was granted bail in three cases, said his counsel.
As news of the release of Gulalai’s parents and MNA Ali Wazir spread, parliamentarians, members of civil society and human rights (HR) activists expressed their joy at the ‘victory of truth.’ This is something they had been waiting to see for years, they held.
MNA Mohsin Dawar expressed his delight over the release of Wazir after spending almost 26 months in jail. He shared a picture of him after his release from the Karachi prison.
He also posted a picture of Gulalai’s parents saying, “They have been harassed and persecuted for far too long. Their resolve remains unshaken.”
