Qureshi, Gandapur among 14 PTI leaders indicted in GHQ attack case

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi formally indicted 14 senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in the GHQ attack case. 

The court proceedings, held at Adiala Jail on Thursday. Prosecutors outlined the charges, accusing the leaders of orchestrating violent protests and attacks on military and civilian installations in May 2023 following the arrest of PTI’s founder, Imran Khan. 

The defendants refused to sign the charge sheet, citing their prior submission of applications under Section 265-D of the Criminal Procedure Code, which seeks dismissal of charges before trial. Prosecutors, however, proceeded to read the charges, reiterating the government’s claim of the leaders’ direct involvement in the violent demonstrations. 

Further hearings on the Section 265-D petitions are scheduled for Friday, with the trial itself adjourned until December 21.

So far, 113 individuals have been formally charged in connection with the attacks, which included an unprecedented assault on the military’s GHQ in Rawalpindi. 

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Among the accused present in court was PTI chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Once hailed for his populist appeal, Khan now faces mounting legal troubles, including corruption allegations related to foreign gifts and assets during his tenure from 2018 to 2022. His arrest in May 2023 triggered nationwide protests marked by violence, arson, and blockades, particularly targeting military and government installations. 

The indictment follows previous warrants issued for the arrest of Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, and other PTI leaders, along with the declaration of several prominent members, including Murad Saeed and Zulfi Bukhari, as absconders.

Authorities have described the May riots as a coordinated attack on state institutions, accusing Khan and his inner circle of masterminding the unrest. 

The fallout from the riots has led to the detention of over 5,000 individuals under anti-terrorism laws, further straining relations between PTI and the government. 

The GHQ attack remains one of the most significant incidents in the country’s turbulent political landscape. Protesters allegedly stormed the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, vandalized Lahore’s Jinnah House, and targeted Mianwali Air Base, among other locations. The government claims to possess irrefutable evidence linking PTI leadership to the violence, a charge vehemently denied by the party.