Court convicts proclaimed offenders in absentia, orders Rs500,000 fine; sentences voided if accused surrender by May 7
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) throw stones after police fire tear gas to disperse them in Lahore on May 9, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
RAWALPINDI:
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi delivered a verdict in the May 9 General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case on Saturday, sentencing 47 proclaimed offenders, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) figures, to 10 years imprisonment each, along with a fine of Rs500,000 per convict and the confiscation of their movable and immovable properties.
The court has ordered all 47 accused to surrender within 60 days, ruling that any accused who does so will have their sentence annulled and automatically declared void, with the case tried on merit. The convicted accused have been directed to surrender before the court by May 7.
ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah, who announced the verdict, also issued warrants regarding the sentence and surrender. Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah pursued the case on behalf of the state.
In the event of non-payment of the Rs500,000 fine, the accused will be required to serve additional imprisonment.
Among the convicted PTI figures are Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Murad Saeed, Zartaj Gul, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Ejaz Khan Jazi, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra, Muhammad Ahmad Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, and Rai Muhammad Murtaza, among others.
According to the court’s written verdict, the convicted accused were found involved in the conspiracy behind the May 9 incidents, with a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) identifying them as key suspects in the planning of the violent protests.
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They stand charged with arson, siege, vandalism, attacks on police, and damaging government property, specifically in connection with attacks on the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp, the Army Museum, and Sixth Road Metro Station. The case is registered at RA Bazaar Police Station.
The 47 individuals were tried separately under Section 21L of the Anti-Terrorism Act, as they had been absent from court proceedings for two years and had already been declared proclaimed offenders. Of the 47, 18 remained continuously absent throughout the trial, while 29 never appeared in court at all following registration of the case.
Proceedings against them were initiated after the prosecution filed an application on January 6 under Section 19/10. A subsequent judicial inquiry formally declared all 47 to be deliberately absconding, following which the court ordered the publication of notices in newspapers on January 8, giving the accused seven days to surrender.
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Despite the court orders and published notices, none of the accused appeared. The court then appointed a state counsel for the proclaimed offenders, framed charges, and recorded the statements of 19 prosecution witnesses, whom the state counsel also cross-examined, before concluding the trial and issuing Saturday’s verdict.
The May 9 GHQ attack case is part of a broader prosecution in which a total of 118 accused, including PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were indicted, with charges formally framed against all 118 in December 2024.
The case has a total of 119 witnesses, of whom 47 have recorded their statements so far, though none have been cross-examined. Proceedings in the main trial have also been hampered by delays of approximately three months due to a non-functional video link system.
