Shah Mehmood, Gandapur among 14 PTI leaders indicted in May 9 GHQ attack case

Vice-chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur were among 14 party leaders indicted Thursday in a case related to the attack on the Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi during violent protests on May 9, 2023.

ATC judge Amjad Ali Shah, while hearing May 9 related cases at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, announced the indictment.

Other PTI leaders who were indicted today included Shehryar Afridi, Shibli Faraz, Latasab Satti, Umer Tanveer Butt, Kanwal Shauzab, Taimur Masood, Saad Ali Khan, Sikandar Zeb, Zohaib Afridi, Fahad Masood and Raja Nasir Mahfouz.

Earlier this week, former PTI leader Shireen Mazari and eight others were indicted in the same case, while Qureshi, Colonel Ajmal Sabir Raja, and Sikandar Zeb had refused to sign the charge sheet.

They adopted a stance that the evidence against them was insufficient and that the application they filed under Section 265D should be heard first and they would sign the charge sheet after the decision of their application.

After the hearing, jail authorities shifted Qureshi to Kot Lakhpat.

The court had adjourned the hearing of the case till December 19.

May 9 riots

Following the arrest of the former prime minister on May 9, last year, from the Islamabad High Court premises, countrywide riots broke out, lasting for over 24 hours.

At least 10 people were killed, hundreds injured, and nearly 40 public buildings and military installations were damaged.

Key sites affected included the Lahore Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House), Askari Tower in Lahore, GHQ in Rawalpindi, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) office in Faisalabad, the FC Fort in Chakdara, the Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar, the Swat Motorway toll plaza, and the Mianwali Air Base.

In total, 62 incidents of violence were recorded, causing an estimated loss of Rs2.5 billion, with Rs1.98 billion in damages reported by the military.

The government maintains that the events were part of a “coordinated attack” orchestrated by the PTI leadership. However, the PTI refutes the government’s allegations and claims that the attacks on military installations were pre-planned to justify the crackdown on the party.