Complaint alleges officials conspired, fired on unarmed protesters, and erased evidence
Judicial magistrate forwarded the complaint; proceedings adjourned till December 14, 2024
Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – the largest opposition party in Pakistan – Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has filed a complaint against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, key federal ministers and senior police officials, accusing them of the alleged murder of 12 PTI workers during a crackdown on protests near the parliament last month.
The 18-page complaint, submitted to the District Courts Islamabad on Friday, names Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, and senior Islamabad police officials. It also accuses “unknown culprits” of orchestrating the violence.
The complaint follows the November 26 protests when PTI workers clashed with security forces attempting to stage a sit-in near parliament and the prime minister’s residence. Police and paramilitary forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.
PTI claims 12 workers were killed, 38 sustained gunshot wounds, and 139 are missing. The government denies using live ammunition, insisting the operation was carried out “without live fire".
The complaint was filed under Section 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), alongside 21 sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including charges of murder, attempted murder, abduction, and robbery.
The document alleges that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi publicly warned that the protest would not be allowed to continue “at any cost".
It further claims that Naqvi, in coordination with Prime Minister Shehbaz and others, conspired to launch a coordinated attack on peaceful demonstrators.
PTI Chairman Gohar Khan arrives to attend a hearing at the High Court in Islamabad on August 9, 2023.
AFP
“From 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on November 26, protesters sustained bullet injuries, and the lights were turned off in the evening,” the complaint states, adding that “law enforcement agencies indiscriminately opened fire on unarmed citizens.”
The complaint lists the names of 12 deceased, 38 wounded by gunfire, and 139 missing individuals. It accuses state agencies of deliberately washing and hosing off the crime scene to destroy evidence.
PTI leaders, including MPAs Dr. Amjad and Shafi Jan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministers Sohail Afridi and Meena Khan, are cited as witnesses. Media personnel and hundreds of others reportedly observed the events firsthand.
The document also accuses government supporters, referring to them as “Gullu Butts”, of looting vehicles. It further claims a bulletproof container carrying PTI leaders Ali Amin Gandapur, Omar Ayub Khan, and former first lady Bushra Bibi came under direct fire, calling it an "attempted murder" that failed.
PTI alleges that records at Islamabad’s Poly Clinic and PIMS hospitals were altered under agency control to cover up the casualties. It claims those attempting to gather information were arrested while bodies were removed to conceal the scale of the violence.
The complaint also states that 950 people were arrested, but only 150 were produced in court within the required 24 hours. “The remaining 800 are missing—either gravely injured or killed,” it alleges.
The judicial magistrate has forwarded the complaint to the session judge of the Islamabad District Courts (West) and adjourned proceedings until December 14, 2024.
The government has yet to respond formally to the allegation.
*Reporting by Ali Hamza
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