Non-bailable arrest warrants issued for Imran, Shah Mehmood among 120 accused in GHQ case

RAWALPINDI: Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi has issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 120 accused, including PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi over their continuous absence in the GHQ attack case.

The court also reserved its decision on the acquittal petition filed by PTI leader and opposition leader Omar Ayub while adjourning the hearing of two petitions challenging the court’s jurisdiction until Wednesday (today).

During Tuesday’s proceedings at Adiala Jail, Imran Khan was presented before the court. Omar Ayub’s lawyer, Dr. Babar Awan, appeared to argue for his client’s acquittal.

Public Prosecutor Zaheer Shah opposed the acquittal request, citing that similar petitions by Sheikh Rashid, Shireen Mazari, and Omar Tanveer Butt had already been rejected. He argued that Omar Ayub’s involvement was established through confessional statements by Omar Tanveer Butt, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, and Sadaqat Abbasi.

He contended that acquittal cannot be granted until all evidence is presented before the court.Omar Ayub maintained that the Sargodha ATC had acquitted him in a similar case.

However, the prosecutor informed the court that the Sargodha ATC’s decision had been challenged before the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its decision on Ayub’s acquittal petition.Imran Khan’s lawyer Raheel Khan also filed a new application under Section 23 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

The petition argued that the provisions of terrorism applied to the case were inapplicable, as no massacre had occurred, nor were any buildings destroyed at the scene.

The court accepted this new petition for hearing and merged it with the previously filed petition. Both petitions are set to be heard on Wednesday (today).

Earlier, the court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 44 individuals, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and several former federal and provincial ministers, for their repeated absence. Among those facing warrants are Ali Amin Gandapur, Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, Major (retd) Tahir Sadiq, Raja Basharat, Colonel (retd) Ajmal Sabir, Raja Rashid Hafeez, Bilal Ijaz Chattha, and Latasib Satti.Special Public Prosecutor Zaheer Shah informed the court that 75 accused had appeared during the last hearing. Apart from Imran Khan, three other accused, including Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Khadim Hussain, are already in custody.