An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail indicted former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senator Shibli Faraz, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, and 14 other suspects in the GHQ attack case on Thursday. The charges were denied by all the accused, and the court adjourned the hearing until December 21.
The other suspects named in the case include Shehryar Afridi, Kanwal Shozab, Shabir Awan, Latif Satti, Umar Tanveer Butt, Taimoor Masood Malik, Saad Ali Khan, Sikandar Zaib, Fahd Masood, Zohaib Afridi, and Raja Nasir Mehmood.
A total of 113 individuals have been charged in connection with the GHQ attack. The court also held a preliminary hearing regarding the request by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan to have charges dismissed due to “insufficient” evidence. A decision on this request will be made in a hearing scheduled for Saturday at the ATC in Rawalpindi.
KP CM Gandapur has appointed Ghulam Hasnain Sanbal as his legal representative in 12 cases related to the May 9 incidents.
Meanwhile, the ATC in Lahore held hearings for four cases related to the May 9 riots, involving PTI leaders Qureshi and Umar Sarfraz Cheema. The two judges visited Kot Lakhpat Jail to hear the cases, including an arson case in the Mughalpura police jurisdiction. During this session, the statements of two witnesses were recorded.
The court also completed the attendance of accused individuals in three other cases, which include incidents of vehicle burnings outside the Jinnah House, Shadman Police Station, and Mughalpura. The hearings for these cases have been adjourned until January 12.
