Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders were indicted on Thursday in a case related to attack on General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on May 9, 2023, Aaj News reported.
Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Amjad Ali Shah read out the judgement at a make-shift court set up in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where the hearing was conducted earlier today.
GHQ attack case: ATC rejects acquittal plea of Omar Ayub
Along with the PTI founder, charges were also framed against Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Sheikh Asad Shafiq, Raja Basharat, Zartaj Gul, and 100 others accused. The PTI founder and the other defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to Aaj News, the police detained Raja Basharat and Omar Ayub had outside the Adiala Jail and transferred them to the Adiala police post.
However, PTI leaders Zartaj Gul and Fawad Chaudhry, who were also present during the hearing, were allowed to leave the jail premises.
The case related to the May 9 GHQ attack was filed at the R.A. Bazaar police station.
A total of 143 accused are named in the case, 23 of whom, including Murad Saeed, Shahbaz Gill, and Zulfi Bukhari, have been declared proclaimed offenders.
Despite obtaining relief in several major cases, the former prime minister continues to face multiple charges linked to the events of May 9, which are currently being heard by an anti-terrorism court.
Last month, Imran Khan’s bail pleas in eight cases associated with the May 9 violence, including the attack on Jinnah House, were dismissed by the ATC in Lahore.
These cases involve allegations related to the attacks on Jinnah House and Askari Tower, incidents of arson and vandalism at Shadman police station, and the burning of police vehicles at Rahat Bakery Chowk and Zaman Park.
May 9 riots
Following the arrest of the former prime minister on May 9, last year, from the Islamabad High Court premises, countrywide riots broke out, lasting for over 24 hours.
At least 10 people were killed, hundreds injured, and nearly 40 public buildings and military installations were damaged.
Key sites affected included the Lahore Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House), Askari Tower in Lahore, GHQ in Rawalpindi, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) office in Faisalabad, the FC Fort in Chakdara, the Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar, the Swat Motorway toll plaza, and the Mianwali Air Base.
In total, 62 incidents of violence were recorded, causing an estimated loss of Rs2.5 billion, with Rs1.98 billion in damages reported by the military.
The government maintains that the events were part of a coordinated attack orchestrated by the PTI leadership. However, the PTI refutes the government’s allegations and claims that the attacks on military installations were pre-planned to justify the crackdown on the party.