Court sentences proclaimed offenders in absentia, imposes Rs 500,000 fine and confiscation of properties
Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) throw stones after police fired tear gas to disperse them in Lahore May 9, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
RAWALPINDI:
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Saturday delivered a verdict in the May 9 General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case, sentencing 47 alleged perpetrators, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) figures, to 10 years in prison each, along with a fine of Rs500,000, which are confidential and confidential. properties.
In the event of failure to pay the fine, the convicted defendant is subject to further imprisonment.
The verdict was announced by ATC judge Amjad Ali Shah, with special prosecutor Zaheer Shah prosecuting the case on behalf of the state.
Among the convicted PTI figures are Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Murad Saeed, Zartaj Gul, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Ejaz Khan Jazi, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra, Nawa Muham, Hassan Muhami, Murtaza, among others.
According to the court’s written judgment, the convicted accused were found involved in the conspiracy behind the May 9 incidents, with a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) identifying them as key suspects in planning the violent protests.
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They are accused of arson, siege, vandalism, attacks on police and damage to government property, specifically in connection with attacks on the GHQ gate, Hamza camp, Army Museum and Sixth Road Metro Station. The case is registered at RA Bazaar police station.
The 47 individuals were prosecuted separately under Section 21L of the Anti-Terrorism Act as they had been absent from trial for two years and had already been declared criminals. Of the 47, 18 remained continuously absent throughout the trial, while 29 did not appear in court at all after registration of the case.
Proceedings against them were initiated after the prosecution filed an application on January 6 under Section 19/10. A subsequent judicial inquiry formally declared all 47 to be willful absconders, after which the court ordered the publication of notices in newspapers on 8 January, giving the accused seven days to surrender.
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Despite court orders and published notices, none of the accused appeared. The court then appointed a public prosecutor for the declared offenders, laid charges and recorded the statements of 19 prosecution witnesses, whom the public prosecutor also cross-examined, before closing the trial and delivering Saturday’s verdict.
The May 9 GHQ attack case is part of a wider prosecution in which a total of 118 accused, including PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were indicted, with charges formally framed against all 118 in December 2024.
The case has a total of 119 witnesses, 47 of whom have recorded their statements so far, although none have been cross-examined. The proceedings in the main proceedings have also been hampered by delays of approximately three months due to a non-functional video link system.
