Chief ministerial pick Gandapur faces arrest

LAHORE:

A strategy has been chalked out to arrest last year’s May 9 violence nine proclaimed offenders, including PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur, who was elected as a parliamentarian in the general elections 2024.

A day earlier, PTI founding chairman and former premier Imran Khan nominated Gandapur for the slot of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister.

Apart from Gandapur, PTI leaders Mian Aslam Iqbal and Sheikh Imtiaz, who emerged victorious in the recent polls, were also declared proclaimed offenders by in connection with last year’s May 9 riots and would be rounded up by police.

The Lahore police, along with officials from a joint investigation team (JIT), have stepped up their efforts to nab 22 PTI leaders and 282 activists who were declared proclaimed offenders by the courts for their alleged involvement in the May 9 mayhem.

According to JIT sources, advanced techniques including geo-fencing, mobile tracking and IP address tracing were being used to locate the proclaimed offenders.

They added that the proclaimed offenders, who had bagged seats in the recent general elections, would be rounded up in accordance with the law.

Read also: 30 accused declared absconders in Jinnah House arson case

The JIT sources said the proclaimed offenders, who participated in the recent elections, were in frequent touch with campaign activists and their supporters throughout the polls as well as during the announcement of the results.

This ongoing communication has provided the police and JIT with valuable information about the whereabouts of the proclaimed offenders, facilitating the implementation of the arrest plan.

The assistance of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other agencies is being sought to locate the proclaimed offenders.

On September 30 last year, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) declared Gandapur and eight other PTI leaders as proclaimed offenders in the case of an attack on Lahore Jinnah’s House, where the city’s corps commander was residing.

Lahore’s Sarwar Road police had registered an FIR against the PTI leaders and activists following the attack during the May 9 riots.

Separately, an ATC on Wednesday declared 30 "hidden" suspects allegedly involved in the Lahore’s Jinnah House attack case as proclaimed offenders.

Read: PTI to establish govt in K-P, vows Gandapur

 

ATC Judge Muhammad Naveed Iqbal pronounced the verdict.

The proclaimed offenders include Tahira Yasmin, Rizwana Ghazanfar, Hayat Sikander, Owais Khan, Raja Shah Nawaz, Tanzila Imran Khan, Shunila Ruth, Zahid Lodhi, and Malik Taimoor.

The police had requested the court to declare the suspects as proclaimed offenders. It submitted to the ATC that the suspects had not joined the investigation and judicial proceedings despite publication of their summons.

The investigating officer told the judge that the suspects had gone into hiding, fearing their arrest.
On the request of the police, the court declared the 30 suspects as proclaimed offenders.