Pak court dismisses Hindi Medium star Saba Qamar’s acquittal plea; Will be charged on March 16

A Pakistani court on Wednesday rejected the acquittal of ‘Hindi Medium’ star Saba Qamar in the case of allegedly desecrating a mosque here during the shooting of a ‘dance video’ in 2020 and the next date on March 16. During the hearing, it was decided to indict him. The court had earlier deferred his indictment to decide the acquittal application. Opposing the acquittal in a judicial magistrate’s court, 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 the petitioners (Qamar and Saeed) and allow the prosecution to establish its case with evidence.

The magistrate rejected the applications and summoned both the personalities for indictment on March 16.

The Lahore Police had in 2020 registered a case against Qamar and Saeed under section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code for the alleged ‘desecration’ of Masjid Wazir Khan in the old city of Lahore.

According to the FIR, both the artists had trampled upon the sanctity of the mosque by making a dance video and this act also caused outrage among the people of Pakistan.

The Punjab government had also sacked two senior officials for violating the sanctity of the mosque. Wearing a black burqa, Qamar appeared in the court on Monday.

His counsel argued that there was a delay of 10 days in lodging the FIR against him and Saeed. He said that in the investigation conducted by the Punjab Auqaf Department, the petitioners have been declared innocent.

“The report states that no immoral act was committed in the mosque,” he said.

Qamar, whose work in Bollywood films was lauded, also received death threats on social media for his alleged ‘un-Islamic’ action.