President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi appeared before an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad with regard to the 2014 Parliament House attack. Important to note, the Constitution of Pakistan grants immunity to the President.
According to article 248 (2) criminal proceedings cannot be charged initiated in any court against those persons holding the office of president or governor. However, foregoing immunity, the President appeared before the court.
Speaking to the media, President Alvi said that the Constitution of Pakistan gives him immunity, however, he wanted to waive it as he is equal before the law.
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“I appeared before the court so that no one should say that the president skipped the proceedings using his exemption,” he said.
“Why should the president have immunity? Everyone is equal in Pakistan,” the president further added.
Despite having immunity, Dr. Arif Alvi (@PresOfPakistan) went to court as an ordinary citizen. https://t.co/Xe3jOOllW4
— PTI (@PTIofficial) March 4, 2022
2014 Parliament House attack
Hundreds of protesters allegedly belonging to the PTI and PAT stormed the Parliament House and PTV headquarters. They allegedly forced its staff to take two of the state broadcaster’s flagship channels — PTV News and PTV World — off the air. The protestors clashed with police deployed on Constitution Avenue.
As a result, the police invoked sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act against now PM Khan and other leaders including the incumbent president Dr. Arif Alvi, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, and Planning Minister Asad Umar for inciting violence during the sit-in.
In 2018, President Arif Alvi filed an application seeking acquittal in the PTV and Parliament attack case. Similarly, during the previous proceedings, the prime minister’s counsel Abdullah Babar Awan filed written arguments seeking the PM’s acquittal.
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The court then acquitted PM Khan in 2020. The arguments maintained that there was no evidence against the prime minister’s involvement in the case. Moreover, no eyewitness had come forward regarding this.