- All the accused pleaded not guilty during their hearing at Adiala prison.
- Imran Khan appeared before ATC judge Amjad Ali Shah.
- Rawalpindi ATC adjourns the hearing till December 19.
RAWALPINDI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in the garrison town on Monday indicted nine suspects, including Shireen Mazari and others, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) attack case. GHQ.
The development comes days after PTI founder Imran Khan was formally charged for his involvement in the arson and vandalism at the Rawalpindi headquarters during the May 9 chaos.
The other nine suspects, who have been arraigned in the case, besides former federal minister Mazari, are PTI leaders Rashid Hafiz, Khadim Hussain Khokhar, Zakirullah, Azeemullah, Tahir Sadiq, Mehar Javed, Chaudhry Asif and Munir.
All the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges against them during the hearing, presided over by ATC judge Amjad Ali Shah, in a makeshift court set up in Adiala prison in Rawalpindi.
The court had summoned the suspects for today’s hearing. Khan was also produced before the judge, while former PTI vice-president Shah Mahmood Qureshi was brought to this facility from Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore, where he was lodged.
Prosecution lawyers asked the court to cancel the bail of the suspects who did not participate in the hearing.
“They are deliberately delaying the trial,” the prosecution said.
Meanwhile, an application to stop the chargesheet process has been filed on behalf of Qureshi under Section 265-D of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), based on insufficient evidence.
The court accepted the plea, fixing its hearing for December 19 and adjourned the proceedings.
The proceedings were adjourned until December 19.
At least 70 PTI leaders, including Khan, are accused of planning the May 9 events and inciting workers and their supporters to attack military and government installations after the ousted prime minister was arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2023.
During the protests, the miscreants targeted civilian and military installations, including the Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The army declared May 9 a “Black Day” and decided to try the protesters under the Army Law.
The PTI founder, however, accuses the “men of the agency” of arson and shooting in certain areas during the violent demonstrations of May 9.
The government of the day as well as the one currently in power have repeatedly accused the PTI founder and senior party leaders of carrying out technical attacks on military installations.