GHQ attack case accused put on no-fly list

RAWALPINDI: The Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Monday banned all the accused nominated in the GHQ attack case from leaving the country.

The court sent a letter to the DG Immigration, directing that the accused be prohibited from traveling abroad. The ban has been imposed under Section 28-A of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

The court provided additional copies of the challan against the PTI founder Imran Khan and other accused and adjourned the hearing until November 25 to indict the accused. Imran was presented in the court of Amjad Ali Shah.

The lawyers of the accused objected to the provision of additional copies of the challan. They were of the view that the additional documents of the challan were not part of the original challan but were tampered with, on which the government lawyers said the copies of the challan had already been provided to 120 accused named in the case. The court has already declared 23 accused, including Shahbaz Gil, Murad Saeed, Zulfiqar Bukhari and Hammad Azhar, as absconders and ordered the seizure of their properties.

It is worthy to mention that the prosecution team has so far presented 11 challans. Further hearing of the case will be held on November 25. Earlier, the case was heard in the open court. Federal and provincial ministers, members of the assembly and other accused, including Omar Ayub, Shireen Mazari, Kanwal Shozab, Zartaj Gul, Raja Basharat, Sadaqat Abbasi, Raja Rashid Hafeez, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi and Colonel (retd) Ajmal Sabir appeared in the court.

On this occasion, the government lawyers withdrew the names of Sadaqat Abbasi and Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi and took the stand that the said accused had deviated from their confessional statement, due to which they were no longer promissory witnesses.

In the interim challan presented by the police in the court, the real motive behind the attack was attributed to the PTI former chairman, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, former federal ministers and central, provincial and local leadership of the PTI.

It has been said that the challan has been prepared with undeniable evidence in the light of audio and video messages released on the social media and the CCTV footage obtained from the JAG Branch of GHQ and statements of soldiers posted on duty.

According to the challan, the statements made by the former chairman of the PTI on the social media incited the PTI workers against the army so that the workers would take all possible illegal steps and take such action in the form of groups that the top military leadership and the federal and provincial governments would be forced to resign.

The challan states that the statements made by the former chairman of the PTI on the social media had led to the destruction of the PTI. Meanwhile, Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand Monday once again postponed the indictment of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in Toshakhana-II case till November 21.

The indictment was postponed due to the non-appearance of co-accused Bushra Bibi in the court. On Monday, Imran was presented in the courtroom. However, Bushra did not appear. Her lawyer sought one day exemption from court appearance on medical grounds.

The special prosecutor opposed the request for exemption stating that the medical report carried no serial number and the signature showing that the lawyers of the co-accused were adopting delaying tactics.

He was of the view that the court had exempted Bushra from attendance on medical grounds in the previous hearing too. The exemption application was approved even though the medical report was not accompanied by a doctor’s examination report, on which the accused’s lawyer Usman Gul took the position that the court could get the medical report confirmed if it wished so.

Meanwhile, the special prosecutor requested the court to issue a warrant for Bushra Bibi. However, the court issued a notice to Bushra Bibi to ensure her attendance on November 21. The court remarked that if Bushra did not appear in the next hearing, her bail would be cancelled.

The Special Accountability Court Monday took notice of non-appearance of the PTI founder Imran Khan’s spouse Bushra Bibi in Al-Qadir Trust reference and directed the accused to ensure her presence on Tuesday (today).

Imran was produced in the courtroom; however, co-accused Bushra Bibi did not appear. Bushra Bibi’s lawyers — Usman Gul and Faisal Chaudhry — told the court that the decision of the Islamabad High Court had come and pleaded that first, a decision should be made on the acquittal petitions, as the prosecution had recorded their evidence.

The NAB lawyers requested that the statements of the accused be recorded under 342. The lawyer of the accused was of the view that the accused had been given five opportunities but was being denied the written answers to the questionnaire of 342, on which the court directed the accused to submit the answers to the questionnaire of 342 on November 19 (today).

The court directed Bushra Bibi to ensure her presence on Tuesday (today) at all costs and adjourned the hearing till Tuesday. Judicial Magistrate Yasir Mahmood Chaudhry Monday acquitted the PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders in a case filed under the Amplifier Act and Section 144 violations.

Yasir Chaudhry issued a detailed judgment, highlighting inconsistencies in the prosecution’s narrative. The court observed that the prosecution alleged a crowd of 1,000 to 1,200 individuals attacked the police officers, yet no injuries to the police personnel were reported.

The judgment noted significant doubts surrounding the prosecution’s account and ruled that the complainant’s allegations could not be substantiated. The court further remarked that even if the trial proceeded, the likelihood of a conviction was minimal due to the weak evidence presented.

He ordered the release of all the accused, including Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Asad Qaiser, and Fayaz ul Hassan Chohan, provided they were not detained in other cases. The case registered in August 2022, accused the PTI leadership of violating Section 144 during a political gathering. The court also instructed the return of surety bonds submitted by the accused.