ATC adjourns hearings in May 9 riot cases until May 10

A special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) adjourned on Saturday the hearings of all 14 cases related to the May 9 riots, including the GHQ Gate 1 attack case, until May 10.

Once again, the jail trial has been delayed. No progress or trial proceedings have taken place in the GHQ attack case since February 25.

Despite a Supreme Court (SC)'s directive to complete the May 9 case trials within four months, three weeks passed on Saturday without any court session. The two witnesses summoned by the court—Magistrate Mujtaba Hassan and Sub-Inspector Riaz—again failed to appear.

Meanwhile, in 10 of the May 9-related cases, copies of charge sheets were distributed to 21 more accused individuals. Police investigation teams have now submitted challans (charge sheets) in all 14 cases registered in the Rawalpindi Division in connection with the May 9 events.

These include GHQ Gate 4 attack case, attack on the Army Museum, arson at a sensitive institution's building in Saddar Cantt, arson at the Metro Bus Station in New Town, and vandalism at another sensitive institution.

All challans declare the nominated suspects as responsible for the crimes. Copies of the challans have been distributed to those accused who had not previously received them.

Judge Amjad Ali Shah issued summons to all named accused for the next hearing, during which indictments would be formally filed in 10 of the cases. Due to the absence of any other legal proceedings, the court allowed early departure for those who had marked their attendance, including former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, Azam Swati, and Kanwal Shauzab.

The court also didn't hear the bail petitions of Azam Swati, Umair Niazi, Zain Elahi, Saad Ali Khan, and Taimoor Nawaz. The court staff permitted the appearing accused to leave after marking their presence.

Due to the simultaneous hearing of all 14 May 9 cases in a single day and the large number of accused present, police—taking precautionary measures—installed a fenced security barrier around the courtroom for the first time and deployed a large force.

Absentee accused were granted exemption from personal appearance through approved applications. According to court sources, the SC's decision is expected on Monday or Tuesday (May 5 and 6). Following this decision, it is likely that the trial for the May 9 cases will be conducted twice a week, with no further adjournments granted to any party.

Notably, three of Rawalpindi's May 9 cases—the GHQ attack, the Army Museum attack, and the Metro Bus Station arson—are of a similar nature and involve the same category of witnesses. A joint verdict is expected in these three cases.