Lahore:
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday rejected preliminary bail petitions from senior PTI leader Omar Ayub in three separate cases relating to the 9th of May revolt.
The cases involve alleged attacks on military installations – including Lahores Jinnah House and Askari Tower – under nationwide rebellion triggered by the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023.
ATC judge Manzar Ali Yellow rejected the petitions while hearing the petitions, due to Omar’s repeated absence from litigation. The judge also rejected his request for a one-day exemption from the appearance.
Omar had previously secured preliminary bail in the cases on condition of regular participation. On July 31, however, an ATC in Faisalabad issued prison sentences of up to 10 years to several PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul and Sahibzada Hamid Raza, in other 9 May-related cases.
In their conviction, the National Assembly on Friday is non-given Omar as head of the opposition. Zartaj Yellow was also deprived of his position as PTI’s parliamentary leader, while Ahmad Chattha was removed as a deputy parliamentary leader.
Meanwhile, Zartaj Gul filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court (LHC) that challenged her conviction from ATC. The appeal – filed through her lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar and Muhammad Hussain – will be recorded by a division bench on Monday.
The petition claims that Zartaj was neither nominated in FIR nor found physically present on stage and that her admission via a supplementary statement was unjustified. This claims that it raises serious doubts about the authenticity of the claims that were not considered during the trial.
It also claims that the “imposed judgment” was handed down “in a rushed and slip-shoot manner” on the basis of three prosecution quarters who admitted in a cross-examination that they had not named her, yet she was sentenced and handed down a serious verdict.
In a related development, the ATC in Lahore is set to announce its verdict tomorrow (August 11) in two other cases of May 9 regarding vandalism outside Rahat Bakery and Shadman police station. The court had reserved its decision earlier this week after completing the procedure in KOT Lakhpat Prison.
