Jinnah House case: Punjab police says all planners 'including Yasmin Rashid' to be brought to justice

The Punjab police said on Sunday that they will challenge the Lahore court’s decision to discharge PTI leader Yasmin Rashid in the Jinnah House attack case, stressing “all conspirators, planners, and perpetrators” of the May 9 incident, including the former Punjab health minister, would be brought to justice.

The provincial police, in a statement shared on its official Twitter handle, said the investigation into the Jinnah House attack was being carried out on scientific lines.

“The court order is being challenged as the police were not given the opportunity to present forensic evidence in the case,” the police said.

It said the court order regarding Rashid’s case will attain finality after the order of the High Court, adding: “Police reserves its right to investigate the case and to bring the truth before the public.”

“Any premature assumption/inference at this stage is likely to be misleading,” the police advised.

The statement comes after PTI chief Imran Khan claimed Yasmin Rashid’s release from the prison meant the “PTI as a party had no hand in the arson” at the Lahore Corps Commander House on May 9.

“Now that Dr. Yasmin is pronounced innocent in the arson at Lahore CC house, it means that as the President of Central Punjab, PTI as a party had no hand in the arson,” Imran tweeted earlier.

He further claimed the entire “crackdown on PTI was on the pretext that the party had planned the violence.”

“Now this narrative has been blown apart,” he emphasized.

An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Saturday discharged PTI leader Yasmin Rashid in the Jinnah House attack case and ordered her immediate release from prison.

Rashid was among the PTI leaders who were taken into custody under section three of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

The former Punjab health minister was facing charges of hate speech against state institutions and involvement in attacks on Jinnah House during the May 9 protests.

On May 13, the LHC had ordered her immediate release, saying that if she is not required in any criminal case, then she should be released.

However, the PTI leader was again arrested.

On May 29, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore had sent the PTI leader to jail on a 14-day judicial remand in the same case.