LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Monday indicted five leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and 16 activists in a May 9 case of burning a container near Kalma Chowk.

The indicted leaders include PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, PTI Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid and former provincial minister Mian Mahmoodur Rashid.

ATC-III Judge Arshad Javed conducted the proceedings at Kot Lakhpat jail.

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty and decided to face the trial.

At this, the judge summoned prosecution witnesses against the accused persons and adjourned the proceedings till Feb 17.

Naseerabad police had registered FIR No. 1078/23 against the PTI leaders and workers for burning a container at Kalma Chowk during the May 9 riots.

These five PTI leaders have already been indicted in several other cases of May 9 protests.

Several other PTI’s leaders including former federal ministers Hammad Azhar and Murad Saeed and former provincial minister Mian Aslam Iqbal have been declared proclaimed offenders in many cases.

The police in Lahore registered several cases against the PTI leaders and workers on charges of attacking public and private properties and army facilities in particular on May 9, 2023 following the arrest of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in a graft case by the NAB.

RESERVED: An anti-terrorism court on Monday reserved its verdict on a prosecution plea to amend the indictment in five cases of May 9 riots including the attack on Askari Tower and torching police vehicles near Jinnah House.

ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill heard the prosecution plea to amend the indictment while lawyers representing former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other PTI leaders opposed the request, urging the court to dismiss it.

On the other hand, a deputy prosecutor argued that the charges against the accused persons had been framed in a vague and complex manner as multiple offences had been clubbed together under one head.

He said any accused at a later stage of the trial can take an undue advantage to secure his/her acquittal in the cases.

The prosecutor said the trial in all five cases was at initial stage and the proposed amendments of the charge will not cause any delay in the conclusion of the trial. He stated that the charges framed by the court may be amended in a way that each offence be placed in a separate head of charge in the interest of justice and fair play.

After hearing the arguments, the judge reserved his verdict on the application.

During the hearing, the incarcerated accused persons were presented before the court, while those out on bail including Aliya Hamza Malik, Khadija Shah and Sanam Javed appeared on their own.

The judge scheduled the next hearing for Feb 17.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2025