Top PTI leaders among 47 sentenced to 10 years in GHQ attack case

A special court in Rawalpindi has sentenced 47 suspects, including multiple Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, to 10 years of imprisonment in the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case, Aaj News reported.

Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Amjad Ali Shah announced the verdict on Saturday, also imposing fines of Rs500,000 on each convict and ordering confiscation of their properties.

PTI leaders including Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, and Hammad Azhar are among the convicts.

Those sentenced by the court also include Kanwal Shauzab, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Muhammad Ahmed Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Sheikh Rashid Shafique, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed, and Ejaz Khan.

According to the judicial decision, the sentenced individuals were found involved in the attacks on the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp, and the Army Museum. The court remarked that the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report indicates these individuals played a key role in planning the violent protests. The verdict stated that these suspects were also charged with arson, vandalism, attacks on police, and damaging government property during the May 9 incidents.

In this case, a total of 118 individuals, including PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were indicted. According to the court, a formal charge sheet was presented against all these suspects in December 2024. Judicial records show that the prosecution has recorded statements from 44 witnesses.

The court also noted that out of the 118 named suspects, 18 individuals failed to appear in court consistently during the trial, while 29 suspects did not appear even once after the case was registered. The verdict further stated that the case of the 47 fugitive suspects was conducted separately under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The prosecution had filed a petition in court on January 6 of this year, requesting proceedings against these absconding suspects. Upon this petition, the court had issued orders for an inquiry. Subsequently, on January 8, advertisements were issued for the 47 fugitives, giving them an opportunity to appear before the court within seven days. However, despite the court orders and advertisements, none of the accused appeared.

It is worth noting that on May 9, 2023, violent protests erupted across the country against the arrest of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case. A large number of enraged protesters marched toward the military’s central headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. Protesters damaged government property while vandalising the main gate and surroundings of the GHQ.

The GHQ attack was an unprecedented event in Pakistan’s history, as it marked the first time protesters directly reached the military headquarters during a protest.