LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Monday heard the concluding arguments of the prosecution and defence in the jail trial proceedings of a May 9 riots case related to violence on Sherpao Bridge, Lahore.

Deputy Prosecutor General Abdul Jabbar Dogar presented final arguments, saying the “May 9 conspiracy” was hatched on May 7 at Zaman Park. He said it had already been decided what actions were to be taken in case of the arrest of the PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.

He alleged that on May 9, according to the plan, party leaders incited the workers. He said the witnesses to the conspiracy had recorded their statements before the court. He said these witnesses were present during the meeting of the PTI leaders held at Zaman Park, the residence of the former prime minister.

The prosecutor stated that 61 witnesses of the attacks and vandalism incidents had testified in the trial. Therefore, he said, in the light of the documents, evidence and the witness statements, the accused persons should be convicted.

Advocate Burhan Moazzam Malik, the lead defence counsel, argued that the FIR mentioned 400 accused persons, but only 14 were being put on trial.

He said the FIR says the accused persons chanted slogans against the government and damaged the state property, but at the time, a caretaker government was in place.

The lawyer also pointed out that no medical certificate exists to prove that any person was injured on May 9. He further argued that the police vehicles were deliberately damaged to fabricate a case.

He said there was no mention of any conspiracy or incitement in the FIR.

The defence lawyer argued that the nature of the case changed entirely after the investigation and it was portrayed as a conspiracy.

ATC Judge Arshad Javed would resume the hearing at Kot Lakhpat Jail on Tuesday (today) for more arguments.

The main accused in the case include PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, former governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and former provincial minister Mian Mehmoodur Rashid.

Bar councils polls: A petition has been filed with the Lahore High Court challenging a proposed amendment to the law regarding the eligibility criteria for candidates contesting the provincial bar councils’ elections.

Fahad Akram Bhatti and Imran Fazal, the candidates for the elections of Punjab Bar Council (PbBC), filed the petition.

The petition highlights that the provincial bar council elections are scheduled to be held in November this year and candidates have already been running their election campaigns for quite some time.

It stated that the government is introducing new eligibility requirements for contesting candidates, which is not appropriate at this stage.

The petition asks the court to restrain the implementation of the new eligibility criteria for candidates in the upcoming provincial bar council elections.

Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) President Malik Asif Nissoana also rejected the amendments approved to the Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Election Rules.

In a statement, he said the PbBC chairman already issued a code of conduct for the upcoming elections.

Therefore, he said, no amendments should be made to the rules so close to the elections.

Mr Nissoana demanded that any amendments to the law should be postponed until after the provincial bar council’s elections.

A Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice recently approved significant amendments to the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, involving stricter eligibility requirements for candidates contesting bar council elections.

The change includes a candidate’s eligibility requirement of enrollment as a high court advocate from five to 10 years besides the condition of having handled at least 30 individual cases.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2025