LAHORE: An anti -terrorist court on Wednesday allowed the Prosecutor’s Office/Police to carry out polygraph (lies detection) and photogrammetric (facial and voice analysis) of the founding president of PTI imprisoned, Imran Khan, in 12 cases of May 9 (2023) against him.
The judge of ATC-I Manzer Ali Gill granted permission to the prosecution that accepted his written application, who opposed the lawyer of the former prime minister.
The judge ordered the completion of the evidence within 12 days, saying that the Prosecutor’s Office can comply with the founding president of PTI in the Adiala prison, Rawalpindi, during that period.
Previously, the judge listened to the final arguments of the lawyer of the founder of PTI, the lawyer Salman Safdar, and the prosecution before reserving the verdict.
The lawyer Safdar opposed the request for prosecution, questioning the police decision to carry out the polygraph and photogrammetric tests 727 days after the incidents of May 9.
The lawyer argued that the bond had already been granted to the former prime minister in 21 cases and the statements on which the police sought these evidence had already been declared legal by the Superior Court of Lahore.
He urged the court to dismiss the request of the Prosecutor’s Office.
The special prosecutor Rana Aazar declared that the Supreme Court allowed such evidence to meet the investigation requirements. However, he said, the founding president of PTI refused to undergo these evidence in jail without the presence of his lawyer.
In addition, he declared that carrying out the defendant’s voice proof was a legal requirement.
He asked the court to grant permission to perform the polygraph, photogrammetric and voice coincidence tests.
After listening to both parties, the judge reserved his decision on the declaration.
In the application, the Police requested permission to perform photogrammetric and polygraph evidence of Imran within the Adiala prison, Rawalpindi, where he is currently imprisoned.
The tests will be carried out in 12 cases, including those related to the attacks by Jinnah House and Askari Tower.
Other cases include attacks at the Shadman Police Station and PML-N party offices.
Judges of May 9: The registrar of the Superior Court of Lahore has issued a modified schedule of the trials of May 9 that are held in the Kot Lakhppp prison to comply with the four -month timeline established by the Supreme Court to conclude these judgments.
Last month, a bank of three SC judges headed by the president of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Yahya Afridi, ordered the Anti -Terrorist Courts (ATC) to conclude the violence trials on May 9 within four months.
The hearing of May 9 cases would now be heard in jail four days a week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The prison trials were previously held three days a week, but they have extended to accelerate their elimination.
The ATCs in Lahore are listening to the prison trials of 14 cases, including the attack against the Jinnah house, which also serves as a residence of the body commander.
Several PTI leaders, including former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, former governor Omar Sarfraz Chema, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, former provincial ministers, Dr. Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, face judgments in the Kot Lakhpat prison.
Posted in Dawn, May 15, 2025
