A special anti-terrorism court on Wednesday confirmed the bails of 50 PTI leaders and activists including Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz, former ministers Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Raja Basharat, and Raja Rashid Hafeez in connection with the violent riots that occurred on May 9 last year.
The special ATC has started the regular hearing of all 14 cases linked to the May 9 mayhem. From now on, all the cases will be heard at the Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail court from May 29.
On the next date of hearing, copies of the challan of the cases will be distributed to all the accused for the initiation of the constitutional proceedings of indictment.
Awami Muslim League chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rashid has filed pleas for acquittal in all the cases on grounds of lack of evidence.
Read more: PTI has no option but to engage in talks: Vawda
While accepting them for hearing, the court has asked the personnel of all the police stations to respond on the next date and called for the records of the cases.
PTI lawyers and leaders have announced that they would challenge Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in all the May 9 terrorism cases.
ATC Judge Malik Ejaz Asif accepted Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry’s request for exemption from attendance, extending their interim bails till May 29.
The court directed them to personally appear before it on the next date of hearing.
The Adiala jail staff presented PTI founding chairman Imran Khan and party vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s request for exemption from attendance that were accepted.
Read Vawda predicts more arrests for PTI leaders
PTI legal team head Advocate Faisal Malik told the media that according to the observations of the Supreme Court, high court as well as the available evidence, pleas were being filed to remove Section 7 of the ATA from all May 9 cases.
During the proceedings, around 500 individuals accused of involvement in all the cases appeared before the court to mark their attendance.
After the hearing of the cases, all the accused staged a protest rally in the premises of the court, in which slogans were raised.
On May 9 last year, law enforcement agencies arrested Imran for the first time from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in connection with a corruption case, triggering violent riots in many parts of the country.
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