Imran Khan indicted in May 9 GHQ attack case

Over 100 individuals were also indicted in the case.

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Thursday indicted former prime minister Imran Khan and other PTI leaders in connection with the May 9, 2023, attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ).

The attack occurred during the violent protests that erupted across Pakistan following Khan’s arrest.

ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah conducted a hearing for the GHQ attack case at a makeshift court setup in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.

Over 100 individuals, including Sheikh Rashid, Omar Ayub, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Raja Basharat, Zartaj Gul were also indicted in the case.

Following the court’s decision, opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, was arrested, while former Punjab law minister Raja Basharat was taken into custody immediately after leaving the jail.

Subsquently, the court adjourned the case until December 10.

Earlier, several PTI leaders, including omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Rashid Shafiq, Sadaqat Abbasi, Waseem Qayyum Abbasi, Javed Kausar, Sajid Qureshi, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, Mohammad Ahmed Chatha, and Usman Dar, had arrived at Adiala Jail for the hearing.

The court had summoned all accused in the GHQ attack case, with charges expected to be formally brought against 120 individuals, including PTI’s founder Imran Khan.

In addition, the court has ordered the appearance of former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi from Lahore Jail. The court also instructed that arrests be made for several PTI leaders, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Zain Qureshi, and Taiba Raja.

Furthermore, arrest warrants were issued for 45 absconding accused, with the court warning that legal proceedings would begin to declare them fugitives if they fail to appear.

Earlier this year, Imran Khan was arrested in the GHQ attack case, soon after his release warrant was issued in the cypher case.

Express News obtained a copy of the GHQ attack case report, which outlines 27 severe charges against Imran Khan and other accused individuals.

The report alleges that, under the leadership of former Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat, the accused stormed the GHQ gate, causing significant property damage despite being warned by military personnel to stop.

The accused are also alleged to have broken into sensitive areas of GHQ, set fires, threw petrol bombs, and created chaos within the premises.

According to the report, chants such as "No Pakistan without Khan" and "Behind this terrorism is the uniform" were allegedly raised, targeting military personnel and attacking the reputation of Pakistan’s armed forces.

The investigation report states that attacks were also made on sensitive ISI and GHQ offices, characterizing the protest as a criminal conspiracy.