LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Monday decided to allow limited media to attend a jail trial of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others in a May 9 case of Shadman police station attack.

Judge Khalid Arshad directed the prosecution and the defence to facilitate arrangements for the presence of limited media persons, family of the suspects and lawyers in the trial proceedings being conducted in Kot Lakhpat jail.

Mr Qureshi’s counsel Burhan Moazzam Malik told Dawn that their request for an ‘open-trial’ had been accepted to the extent of the Shadman police station attack case. However, he hoped that the precedent would be followed in other cases in future. He said the trial proceedings in cipher and ECP contempt cases were open for media.

The judge was holding the trial hearing in Kot Lakhpat Jail, where former foreign minister Qureshi, ex-governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, former ministers Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed and other suspects were present.

The judge adjourned further hearing till Aug 1 for the testimony of more prosecution witnesses.

Shadman police had registered a case against the PTI leaders and activists on charges of attacking and burning the police station during the May 9 riots following the arrest of former premier Imran Khan in a graft case by the National Accountability Bureau.

Disposed of: The Lahore High Court disposed of a petition for the recovery of ‘missing’ PTI MNA Imtiaz Ahmad after the Punjab government filed details of cases against him.

A law officer submitted a report saying five FIRs had been registered against the Ahmad by Mandi Bahauddin police while one case by the anti-corruption establishment in Gujranwala.

The government’s lawyer told the court that the PTI MNA was in the custody of the police or the ACE.

Justice Anwarul Haq Pannun disposed of the petition in light of the government’s report.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2024