LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday re-indicted former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi along with other PTI leaders and workers in a case related to May 9 riots filed at the Shadman police station after prosecution submitted a supplementary challan.
The court conducted the trial at Kot Lakhpat jail.
However, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty. The court directed the prosecution to present its witnesses on Jan 16 to record statements.
Other indicted PTI leaders included Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, PTI-Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid, former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and former provincial minister Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed.
Those out on bail, including PTI social media activists Sanam Javed and Tayyaba Raja, former MNAs Aliya Hamza Malik and Rubina Jamil and fashion designer Khadija Shah also attended the trial proceedings.
The court also issued notices on identical applications filed by the prosecution and the defence challenging the indictment of the accused persons in four cases related to May 9 riots including burning police vehicles on Sarwar Road Cantonment and violence outside GOR-I and Shadman police station.
The prosecution said the trial in all four cases was at initial stage and the proposed amendments of the charge will not cause any delay in the conclusion of the trial.
Therefore, it argued that charges framed by the court may be amended in a way that each offence be placed in a separate head of charge in the interest of justice and fair play.
On the other hand, defence counsel Burhan Moazzam Malik challenged the indictment, pleading that all the accused persons had been implicated in the cases on political consideration and without any evidence against them.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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