ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad is likely to indict a suspect accused of running over Rangers personnel during the November 26 protest at the next hearing on May 21, as the judge handed over a copy of the prosecution’s challan to the suspect on Wednesday.

During the hearing presided over by ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, suspect Hashim Abbasi appeared in the court with his legal team. The court provided him with the challan and announced that formal charges would be framed at the next hearing.

The prosecution has submitted the challan against Mr Abbasi so far, even though the FIR in the case has also named the PTI leadership. After the challan was shared, the court adjourned the proceedings till May 21, when the indictment is expected to take place.

It may be noted that Mr Abbasi was granted post-arrest bail on March 1. After the hit-and-run incident on November 26, the police had registered the FIR under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Ramna police station, implicating the primary suspect as well as the top brass of the PTI, including Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

The FIR included Section 302 (murder), Section 324 (murder attempt), Section 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), Section 114 (abettor present when offence is committed), and other sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, besides terrorism charges.

According to the FIR, the police and Rangers personnel were deployed at Chungi No. 26 in connection with the PTI’s protest. At around 9:15pm, about 10,000 to 12,000 people, led by the party’s leaders, including Bushra Bibi, Ali Amin Gandapur, MNA Abdul Latif, former MPA Riaz Khan, Amir Mughal, Shoaib Shaheen, Ali Bukhari, MPA Fatehul Mulk, Senator Faisal Javaid, MPA Pir Mosawer, Asad Qaiser, Omer Ayub, Khurram Sher Zaman, Sher Afzal Marwat, Shibli Faraz, Arif Alvi, former Gilgit-Baltistan CM Khalid Khurshid, Zartaj Gul, MNA Omair Niazi, and Haleem Adil Shaikh, armed with batons, firearms, stones, slingshots, iron rods, teargas, and 12-bore guns reached the site on vehicles and motorcycles.

The FIR said that the objective of the PTI leaders was to spread fear and terror among the public, undermine the government, and pursue their agenda and objectives by creating unrest and chaos in the country. The FIR added that the protesters used intimidating force and ‘terrorist tactics’, blocking Srinagar Highway and the main G.T. Road, and chanted slogans against the government and the state institutions.

The FIR said that the participants of the protest were provoked by Bushra Bibi, Ali Amin Gandapur, and other leaders with the intention to spread fear and terror among the rival political parties to achieve their political objectives.

“During the course of court proceedings, Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur, who had been allowed to see Imran Khan under [a] court permission, hatched a conspiracy under the directions of Imran Khan with criminal intent to provoke party workers through video messages,” said the FIR.

As a result, the PTI protesters, allegedly at the behest of party leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Murad Saeed, Raoof Hassan, Salman Akram Raja, Hammad Azhar, Sheikh Waqqas Akram, and Shehryar Afridi, attacked the police and Rangers and resorted to ‘straight firing’ and teargas shelling. As a result of the firing, ASI Nazir Ahmed, Head Constable Maqsoor Ahmed, Constables Ahsan Farooq, Nadeemullah, Faisal, Zahid, Ahsan, Sajjad and some personnel of Rangers sustained injuries.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2025