The jail trial in the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case has been postponed once again, marking the seventh delay over a two-and-a-half-month period during which the case had been moving at a brisk pace with hearings twice a week.
Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the Anti-Terrorism Court adjourned proceedings without any action, scheduling the next hearing for May 3.
On that date, all 14 cases related to the May 9 riots registered at various Rawalpindi Division police stations will be heard.
However, lawyers from both sides have ruled out the possibility of a jail trial on the next date as well.
The court has also ordered the complete submission of charge sheets in ten other cases, while copies of charge sheets in three other cases related to the vandalism incidents at Waris Khan, Cantt, and Hazro police stations are still being distributed among the accused.
On Monday, Magistrate Mujtaba Hassan and Sub-Inspector Riaz, summoned as witnesses in the GHQ attack case, once again failed to appear despite being called.
The court recorded the attendance of high-profile accused including former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Leader of the Opposition Omar Ayub Khan, Alia Hamza, and Basharat Raja, among others.
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