On Thursday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan was formally indicted in a case related to the May 9 attacks on military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, during countrywide protests last year.
The indictment was carried out during a hearing in Rawalpindi’s anti-terrorism court (ATC), presided over by Judge Amjad Ali Shah. The court session took place at a makeshift courtroom in Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were presented alongside PTI’s legal representatives.
A total of 100 individuals, including former interior minister Sheikh Rashid, were indicted in the GHQ attack case, registered at the R.A. Bazar Police Station. However, Imran Khan and the other leaders pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The case implicates over 143 individuals, with 23 others, such as Zulfi Bukhari, Shahbaz Gill, and Murad Saeed, listed as fugitives. The court has prohibited all accused from traveling abroad. The next hearing, scheduled for December 10, will focus on recording prosecution evidence.
The indictment had been postponed four times previously. Authorities accused at least 70 PTI leaders of orchestrating the May 9 events, which involved inciting attacks on military and government facilities following Imran Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Protesters reportedly targeted various civil and military locations, including Jinnah House and GHQ, prompting the military to label May 9 as “Black Day” and announce trials under the Army Act.
Imran Khan, however, claims “agency operatives” were behind the violence and arson during the protests. Both the former and current governments have repeatedly accused Khan and PTI’s senior leadership of orchestrating the attacks.
While Khan has secured relief in several cases, he still faces multiple legal challenges related to the May 9 incidents. Last month, an ATC in Lahore rejected his bail pleas in eight cases linked to the violence, including attacks on Jinnah House, Askari Tower, and other sites.
