ATC orders arrest of Gandapur, 25 others before Dec 10

RAWALPINDI: A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC) has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 25 individuals, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Senator Shibli Faraz, Shehryar Afridi, and Makhdoom Zain Qureshi, in connection with the May 9 attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ).

ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah ordered the arrest of the accused and directed the City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi to present them in court on December 10.

Other individuals named in the warrants include Kanwal Shauzab, Major (Retd) Tahir Sadiq, Azeemullah, Fahad Masood, Rashid Hafeez, Umar Tanveer Butt, Zohaib Ali Afridi, and Taimur Masood, among others.

On December 5, during a hearing held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, charges were formally framed against 100 suspects, including PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan. The accused denied the charges, and the court has summoned prosecution witnesses for December 10.

Earlier, on November 18, the ATC had barred several suspects, including Imran Khan, Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Shahbaz Gill, Murad Saeed, Hammad Azhar, Zulfi Bukhari, and Sadaqat Abbasi, from traveling abroad.

The court issued directives to the Director General of Immigration to ensure their travel remained conditional on court approval. The travel restrictions were imposed under Section 28A of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

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The GHQ attack case stems from nationwide protests following the arrest of Imran Khan on May 9, 2023, in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The demonstrations escalated into violent riots, targeting military, civilian, and private infrastructure. PTI Protesters torched properties, including Lahore’s Corps Commander residence, known as Jinnah House, and broke through a gate at the GHQ in Rawalpindi.

At least eight people were killed and 290 injured during the unrest, with significant damage to public and private property. Law enforcement agencies subsequently arrested over 1,900 individuals nationwide and registered multiple cases against PTI members and their supporters.