GHQ attack case: Court issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Gandapur, Shibli, 23 others

RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 25 people, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, in the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case.

While issuing the warrants, Judge Amjad Ali Shah directed the Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) to arrest the accused and produce them in court on December 10.

Those issued with the warrants also include Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shehryar Afridi, Zain Qureshi, Kanwal Shozab, Tahir Sadiq and Taimoor Masood Malik. The court issued the warrants in a case related to the violent protests on May 9, in which GHQ in Rawalpindi was targeted.

On December 5, the ATC indicted 100 people, including PTI founder Imran Khan, in connection with the case. A total of 100 people, including former interior minister Sheikh Rashid, were indicted in the GHQ attack case, which was registered at R A Bazar Police Station. However, Imran among other indicted leaders denied the charges against them.

Over 143 individuals, including Khan, were named as accused in the case, while 23, including Zulfi Bukhari, Shahbaz Gill and Murad Saeed, were listed as fugitives. Additionally, all accused have been prohibited from travelling abroad.

At least 70 PTI leaders were accused of planning the May 9 events and inciting the workers and supporters to attack military and government installations following the arrest of ousted prime minister by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Separately, Islamabad ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra granted bail to six women arrested on charges of D-Chowk protest, while discharging one woman. During the hearing on Saturday, Advocate Ansar Kayani appeared in court on behalf of the petitioners and took the position that the arrested women are domestic workers, who have nothing to do with the protest.

The police arrested the women only to fill the numbers. Accused Arzoo has no connection with the sit-in protest while two women were arrested in the protest case because they were Afghan citizens.

The court ordered the bail of two women arrested in the Secretariat Police Station case and four women arrested by Kohsar Police Station on bonds worth Rs50,000 each, while the court discharged accused Arzoo from the case.