Pakistani court dismisses petition to register FIR against PM Shehbaz Sharif, top officials

A local court in Pakistan’s capital has dismissed an application seeking the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the chief executive and other top officials.

The petitioner, Gul Khan, accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and senior police officials of killing his son, Muhammad Ali, during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Nov. 26, 2024 rally.

The petitioner claimed that his son was among the 9 PTI protesters killed by state authorities during the demonstration.

Khan claimed that when he learned of his son’s death, he traveled to Islamabad to retrieve the body but was harassed and threatened by police.

He further alleged that the police only released his son’s body after forcing him to sign a blank paper and that other families faced similar coercion to obtain the remains of their relatives.

The petitioner also claimed that when he attempted to file an FIR against the officials, he was unlawfully detained by police for several days.

Police dismiss allegations

The Islamabad police denied the accusations, calling the petition “false” and politically motivated.

In its response submitted to the court, the police stated that the allegations aimed to “tarnish the image of constitutional officeholders and senior police officers.” It further argued that Khan’s claims were based on “social media reports, conjectures, and surmises” without any tangible evidence.

The police asserted that the petition was a “mala fide litigation stunt” meant to shield individuals facing criminal trials.

Court’s decision

Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka issued a nine-page order on Saturday, stating that the petitioner failed to provide medical reports, postmortem documents, or a death certificate proving Muhammad Ali’s death was unnatural.

The judge noted that the nine deceased individuals were residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. If their deaths were violent, their families could have requested the disinterment of the bodies to determine the cause of death, but no such application was filed.

Khan’s lawyers argued that it was the police’s duty to investigate the cause of death. However, the court disagreed, citing precedents where legal heirs or any concerned individual could seek an exhumation order to establish the facts.

“The petition has no legal force and is hereby dismissed,” the court ruled.