RAWALPINDI – Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi sentenced 47 proclaimed offenders to 10 years in prison each in the GHQ attack case.
ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah announced the verdict, imposing a Rs500,000 fine on each convict and ordering the confiscation of their properties. The list of those sentenced includes PTI bigwigs including Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab and Sheikh Rashid Shafiq.
Other known persons include Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Ahmad Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra and Ijaz Khan Jazi.
The convicted individuals were found involved in the planning and conspiracy behind the May 9 incidents. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report had also implicated the accused in the alleged planning of violent protests. The court found the accused linked to attacks targeting the GHQ Gate, Hamza Camp, Army Museum and Sixth Road Metro Station.
The charges included arson, vandalism, attacks on police personnel and damage to government property, adding further weight to the prosecution’s case.
The 47 accused faced a separate trial under Section 21-L of the Anti-Terrorism Act after being declared proclaimed offenders. The prosecution moved the court on January 6 for proceedings under Section 19/10. An inquiry was subsequently ordered and concluded that all 47 accused had deliberately remained absconding.
On January 8, the court ordered newspaper advertisements summoning the accused and gave them seven days to appear and surrender. None of the 47 accused appeared before the court despite the opportunity provided through the judicial process.
The court then appointed state counsel to represent the proclaimed offenders and proceeded with the trial. The prosecution produced 19 witnesses, while the state counsel cross-examined them.
The latest verdict is part of the wider GHQ attack case in which 118 accused, including PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were indicted in December 2024. According to the case record, statements of 44 prosecution witnesses have so far been recorded.
The proceedings have also been marked by repeated absences. Eighteen accused remained continuously absent from court during the trial, while 29 accused never appeared before the court after the case was registered.
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