Imran Khan, others indicted in GHQ attack case
Pakistan
Anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi framed charges against the 60 suspects
RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and other accused were indicted in the May 9 GHQ attack case on Thursday after it was deferred for four times.
An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi framed charges against the 60 accused, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, ex-railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, former law minister Raja Basharat and Zartaj Gul.
The PTI founder and his deputy Qureshi were produced in court where their lawyers were also present. After ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah read the charge-sheet, they denied the allegations. The case was adjourned till Dec 10.
Following the indictment, police arrested Raja Bashrat and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub from outside the Adiala Jail.
A day earlier, ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah rejected the acquittal plea of Omar Ayub in the GHQ attack case.
During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Zaheer Shah argued that the acquittal pleas of other accused, including Sheikh Rashid, Shireen Mazari, Amjad Niazi, and Omar Tanveer Butt, had already been dismissed.
He further stated that Omar Ayub was named as an accused based on the confessional statements of Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi and Omar Tanveer Butt.
Also Read: Imran Khan admits giving call for 'peaceful' protest outside GHQ before arrest
The prosecutor contended that the petition for acquittal could not be approved until the magistrate, who recorded the confessional statements, appeared before the court. He also pointed out that the acquittal decisions of certain accused in related cases had been challenged in the anti-terrorism court Sargodha.
Dismissing the petition, the court observed that the case was still in its preliminary stages. It noted that serious allegations were involved and that the facts would only become clear after the trial and presentation of evidence.
More than 143 individual, including Imran Khan, have been booked in the case, while 23 accused, including Zulfiqar Bukhari and Shahbaz Gill, have been declared fugitives for not appearing before court.
It is recalled that after the arrest of Imran Khan on May 9, 2023 in Islamabad, a group of PTI workers had stormed the GHQ.
