An Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shoukat Yousaf for his non appearance in court despite various notices in a case pertaining to attack on Pakistan Television (PTV) and Parliament buildings during the PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sit-in in 2014.

The hearing was resumed by the ATC Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi and expressed anger over absence of Shoukat Yousafzai in the case and ordered for his arrest and production before the court in the next date of hearing.

The court also issued non-bailable arrest warrants of other 26 protestants which were permanently not appearing before the court in the said case.

The court accepted the exemption from hearing applications by federal ministers Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umer, Pervez Khattak, Shafqat Mehmood and a senior PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen.

Federal minister for foreign affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi had already filed an acquittal plea under section 265-K of Criminal Procedure Code in the same matter.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2019