Pak court dismisses acquittal plea of Hindi Medium star Saba Qamar

A Pakistani court on Wednesday dismissed the acquittal application of ‘Hindi Medium’ star Saba Qamar in a case of alleged desecration of a mosque here while shooting a ‘dance video’ in 2020 and decided to indict her during the next hearing on March 16. Earlier, the court had deferred her indictment to decide the acquittal application first. Opposing the acquittal in the Court of a Judicial Magistrate, a prosecutor on Monday argued that the petitioners – Saba Qamar and singer Bilal Saeed – had shot a dance video at Masjid Wazir Khan.“ A video of the dance was available with us,” the prosecution lawyer claimed.

He asked the court to dismiss the acquittal applications of both petitioners (Qamar and Saeed) and let the prosecution establish its case with evidence. The magistrate dismissed the applications and summoned both celebrities on March 16 for indictment. Lahore police in 2020 registered a case against Qamar and Saeed under section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code for alleged ‘desecration’ of Masjid Wazir Khan in the old city of Lahore. According to the FIR, both actors had trampled upon the sanctity of the mosque by shooting a dance video and this act also sparked an outrage among the people of Pakistan. The Punjab government had also sacked two senior officers in connection with violation of the mosque’s sanctity. Qamar, clad in a black burqa (scarf covering her from head to toe), appeared before the court on Monday. Her lawyer argued that there was a delay of 10 days in registration of the FIR against her and Saeed. He said an inquiry conducted by the Punjab Auqaf department declared the petitioners innocent. Qamar, also received death threats on social media for her alleged ‘un-Islamic' action.