ATC rejects bail plea of PTI's Qureshi

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday rejected post-arrest bail pleas of three top PTI leaders — Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Umar Sarftaz Cheema and Mian Mehmoodur Resheed — in a May 9, 2023 rioting case.

ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul delivered a decision after hearing arguments from both sides. The case related to arson and rioting outside Lahore's Rahat Bakery and was registered by Sarwar Road Police Station.

Qureshi serves as the PTI vice chairman while Cheema and Rasheed respectively served as Punjab governor and provincial minister during the PTI's rule.

Meanwhile, a trial court in Islamabad reserved its decision on a plea filed by Shah Mahmood Qureshi seeking acquittal in another May 9 case. Judicial Magistrate Shehzad Khan heard the case at the Islamabad District and Sessions Court.

During the proceedings, Qureshi's lawyer, Ali Bukhari, appeared before the court and argued that several co-accused have already been acquitted in the same case. He pointed out that on March 8, 2025, the court had acquitted other individuals involved in the matter.

Bukhari maintained that Qureshi was accused of acting on a video message from PTI founder Imran Khan, which allegedly led to acts of vandalism. He requested the court to dismiss the charges against his client on similar grounds as those previously acquitted.

Following the arguments, the court reserved its decision on Qureshi's acquittal plea. The case was initially registered at Tarnol Police Station.

Separately, the hearing of another case related to the Haqeeqi Azadi March, involving the PTI founder and party workers, could not proceed due to the unavailability of Imran Khan who has been detained at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail since September 2023.

The court marked the attendance of the other accused and adjourned the proceedings without further developments. Advocate Masroof Khan appeared on behalf of PTI workers during the hearing.