An Islamabad anti-terrorism court on Monday issued bailable arrest warrants for PTI leaders Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul and central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram in a case pertaining to the Sangjani rally in September last year.

On Sept 8, 2024, clashes took place between PTI leaders and the Islamabad police as party supporters rallied on the outskirts of the city, demanding the “immediate release” of ex-premier Imran Khan and criticising the government for marginalising the party. Following that, at least 10 PTI MNAs were arrested on Sept 9 and 10 last year from different areas of Islamabad, including the Parliament House.

Today, ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra presided over the hearing, where lawyers Sardar Masroof Khan, Amna Ali and Murtaza Toori appeared on behalf of the PTI leaders.

The judge rejected Ayub’s application seeking an exemption from the hearing. “None of them have appeared before the court even once,” Judge Sipra observed.

Subsequently, he ordered that the three PTI leaders be arrested and produced before the court. The hearing was adjourned till October 20.

Akram reacted to the development by writing “warrant factories” in a post on X, sharing screenshots of various media outlets airing the news of the warrants being issued.

Ayub was among the key PTI leaders who had addressed the Sangjani public rally. Others who spoke included Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, Hammad Azhar, and Ali Muhammad Khan.

Late-night parliament arrests over Sangjani rally

In September last year, the PTI had said nearly a dozen of its lawmakers, including Akram, had been arrested. Gul and Ayub were also wanted by the police, but fearing arrest, some of them had taken shelter inside Parliament House.

Late night on Sept 9, 2024, law enforcement agencies arrested at least three key members from different areas of Islamabad, including Sher Afzal Marwat from the Parliament House.

Just after 3am the next day, plainclothesmen stormed the Parliament House — disconne­c­ting the power supply and barging into the building’s Ser­vices Branch — to whisk away more PTI legislators.

Others taken into custody over their alleged role in violence at the Sangjani rally included Malik Amir Dogar, Ahmed Chattha, Zain Qureshi, Zubair Khan Wazir, Awais Haider Jakhar, Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah, Nasim Ali Shah and Yousuf Khan Khattak.

The unprecedented raid had led to a war of words in the National Assembly and suspension of five of its security officials.

The Islamabad High Court had struck down the eight-day physical remand of the PTI MNAs on Sept 13, 2024, with them being granted bail in the case days later.