An anti-terrorism court on Thursday acquitted Pashtun rights activist Gulalai Ismail and her parents in terror financing case that was filed by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) over ‘lack of evidence’.
DAWN reported that the court remarked that the charge couldn’t be framed against the accused and they were exonerated from the charge under the Code of Criminal Procedure as the prosecution failed to produce any substantial evidence in the court.
Fazal Ilahi, lawyer for the defendants, said when records were examined, there was no evidence available with the prosecution to support the charges leveled against the defendants.
He added that the prosecution also failed to establish any linkage between his clients and any terrorist or proscribed organisation.
Gulalai Ismail took to Twitter to comment on the decision of ATC. She said, “Today the anti-terrorism court acquitted me and my parents in the bogus & malicious case of financial terrorism. The prosecutor could not submit a single piece of evidence in the past one year because there was none. Thank you everyone who stood in this hard time with my family.”
https://twitter.com/Gulalai_Ismail/status/1278616466753900544?s=20
She further said the court’s decision was a testimony proving that ‘illegal persecution’ is forced upon the human rights activists by “Pakistan's intelligence agencies to silence those who raise questions on their pro-war policies and pro-war economy; and punish them for their dissent”.
CTD had registered an FIR on July 6, 2019, under Section 11-N of the Anti-Terrorism Act charging Gulalai Ismail, her father, Prof Mohammad Ismail, who is also a known activist, and her mother, Uzlifat.
Complainant CTD inspector Muhammad Ilyas had alleged that the HR activist in the garb of an organisation, Aware Girls, had been working for anti-state elements besides financing terrorist organisations.
DAWN reported that the court remarked that the charge couldn’t be framed against the accused and they were exonerated from the charge under the Code of Criminal Procedure as the prosecution failed to produce any substantial evidence in the court.
Fazal Ilahi, lawyer for the defendants, said when records were examined, there was no evidence available with the prosecution to support the charges leveled against the defendants.
He added that the prosecution also failed to establish any linkage between his clients and any terrorist or proscribed organisation.
Gulalai Ismail took to Twitter to comment on the decision of ATC. She said, “Today the anti-terrorism court acquitted me and my parents in the bogus & malicious case of financial terrorism. The prosecutor could not submit a single piece of evidence in the past one year because there was none. Thank you everyone who stood in this hard time with my family.”
https://twitter.com/Gulalai_Ismail/status/1278616466753900544?s=20
She further said the court’s decision was a testimony proving that ‘illegal persecution’ is forced upon the human rights activists by “Pakistan's intelligence agencies to silence those who raise questions on their pro-war policies and pro-war economy; and punish them for their dissent”.
CTD had registered an FIR on July 6, 2019, under Section 11-N of the Anti-Terrorism Act charging Gulalai Ismail, her father, Prof Mohammad Ismail, who is also a known activist, and her mother, Uzlifat.
Complainant CTD inspector Muhammad Ilyas had alleged that the HR activist in the garb of an organisation, Aware Girls, had been working for anti-state elements besides financing terrorist organisations.