RAWALPINDI:
On Saturday, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) sentenced 47 people, including some key PTI leaders, to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rs 500,000 each. in connection with the 9 May 2023 attacks on the Headquarters (GHQ).
It also ordered confiscation of movable and immovable property belonging to the convicts who have been declared offenders earlier for failing to appear in court despite notices.
ATC judge Syed Amjad Ali Shah announced the verdict and declared that the accused were involved in planning and inciting violent protests during the May 9 riots.
According to the verdict, the convicts were linked to attacks on key locations including the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp, Army Museum and Sixth Road Metro Station.
Among those convicted are prominent political figures including Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Shehbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari and Sheikh Rashid Shafique along with several others.
The court noted that the 47 accused had remained absent from the trial for almost two years and ten months and had previously been declared offenders.
As a result, their trial was conducted separately under Section 21-L of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, which allows trials against absconding accused. According to the verdict, the prosecution argued that the accused were central figures in the planning of the violent demonstrations on 9 May.
A joint investigation team (JIT) report also identified them as key planners behind the protests that led to attacks on military installations and public property.
The case relates to the violence that erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on 9 May 2023. The FIR regarding the GHQ attack was registered at the RA Bazaar Police Station in Rawalpindi.
A total of 118 accused, including senior PTI leaders such as Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were indicted in the case in December 2024.
During the case, the prosecution took statements from dozens of witnesses, while a separate trial was conducted for the declared offenders after a judicial inquiry found that the accused had deliberately avoided appearing in court.
The court also issued arrest warrants for the convicted persons and directed the law enforcement agencies to ensure their apprehension. The sentence, however, allows the convicts to flee to surrender to the court within 60 days.
ATC ordered all convicted persons to appear before the court by May 7 at the latest.
If they surrender within the stipulated time, the sentences handed down in absentia will automatically be set aside and the case will proceed with a new trial.
The court noted that such a provision ensures that the accused still have the opportunity to defend themselves through a full trial if they appear in court.
The trial related to the attack has also been subject to delays in recent months, partly due to technical problems, including the non-functioning of the video link system between the prison and the court for several months.
Despite the conviction of the 47 who disappear, proceedings in the wider case against other accused at the ATC continue.
