Travel ban imposed on GHQ attack case accused

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi has imposed a travel ban on all individuals nominated in the GHQ attack case, preventing them from leaving the country.

The court has sent a formal letter to the Director General of Immigration, instructing that the accused be prohibited from traveling abroad.

The ban has been imposed under Section 28-A of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), which mandates such restrictions to ensure the accused remain available for legal proceedings.

The travel ban comes as part of the ongoing legal proceedings related to the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

A total of 23 individuals have been declared absconders in the case, and permanent arrest warrants have been issued for them. Among the absconders are prominent figures such as Shahbaz Gill, Murad Saeed, Hamad Azhar, and Zulfi Bukhari.

A total of 120 individuals are currently facing trial in connection with the GHQ attack case.

Earlier on Nov 16, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in the garrison city could not indict PTI leaders and workers for the third time in a case related to an attack by a mob on the General Headquarters (GHQ) after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9, 2023.

During the proceeding of the case, the prosecution provided copies of supplementary charge-sheets among the accused present in the courtroom, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former interior minister Sheikh Rashid and National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub.

Some of the counsels for the accused 125 in total raised objections to the supplementary charge-sheet, claiming that new charges had been leveled against their clients without offering evidence.

During the proceedings, Public Prosecutor Zaheer Shah stated that 102 of the 125 accused had not submitted power of attorney of their counsels. He requested ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah to appoint state counsels for the accused.

Earlier, PTI founder Imran Khan who is also among the accused was not presented in the courtroom at Rawalpindi's courthouse in view of security reasons. However, the court marked his attendance. Imran has been detained at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for the last one year. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is detained in Lahore, was brought to Rawalpindi specially to attend the hearing.

K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, Shireen Mazari, and Zartaj Gul were unable to appear in court. Applications requesting exemption from their appearance were submitted and subsequently approved.