LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of six absconding Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders in connection with another case related to the May 9 riots, as they failed to appear in court.

The Gulberg police had registered a case against the PTI leaders for burning a container and police vehicles during the May 9 protests. The suspects include former federal ministers Murad Saeed and Hammad Azhar, former provincial minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, as well as Zubair Niazi, Hamid Raza Gillani and Wasiq Qayum.

The investigating officer (IO) informed the court that the suspects had gone into hiding to avoid arrest. The IO requested the court to issue non-bailable warrants for the suspects as a prerequisite to declaring them proclaimed offenders (POs).

Granting the request, the court issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the PTI leaders.

Several PTI leaders, including Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed, Azam Swati, Farrukh Habib, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Andleeb Abbas, Karamat Khokhar and Zubair Niazi have already been declared POs in multiple cases related to the May 9 incidents for failing to surrender to law enforcement.

Following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan by NAB in a graft case, the police in Lahore registered multiple cases against PTI leaders and workers, accusing them of vandalizing public and private property, including army facilities and the residence of the corps commander.

BAIL: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday extended the interim pre-arrest bail of PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja in cases related to the party’s Oct 6 protest in the city.

Judge Arshad Javed also directed the investigating officers to submit their reports at the next hearing. The cases were filed at police stations in Shafiqabad, Islampura, Lorry Adda and Masti Gate, with Raja and other PTI leaders named in the FIRs. The judge also extended the bail of Afzal Azeem Pahat in the same cases until Nov 23.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2024