LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has released a detailed verdict in the May 9 case involving an attack on a Supreme Court judge’s squad vehicle, issuing perpetual arrest warrants for social media activist Sanam Javed and four other absconding convicts, and also ordering the arrest of fashion designer Khadija Shah.

In this case, Judge Manzer Ali Gill of the ATC-I on Sept 9 acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while sentencing Dr Yasmin Rashid, Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry to ten years’ imprisonment each.

Khadija Shah, a granddaughter of former army chief Asif Nawaz Janjua, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

Ms Shah and 13 other convicts failed to appear in court on the day the verdict was announced at Kot Lakhpat Jail.

ATC judge says it is well established that police officials are as credible as private witnesses, unless bias can be proven

The judge issued perpetual arrest warrants for proclaimed offenders, including Sanam Javed, Muhammad Siddiq, Tayyab Ali, Syed Faisal Akhtar, and Zarif Khan.

The court acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, ruling that his case was different from the others.

It noted that the evidence showed he was not present at the scene on the day of the incident, as he had traveled from Multan to Karachi.

In the detailed judgement, the judge observed that during the entire proceedings of the case, most of the defence counsel focused their efforts on arguing that no such incident had taken place at Rahat Bakery Chowk.

“But on the other hand, the prosecution’s case rests upon both oral and documentary evidence. It is a universal truth that a man can lie, but a document cannot,” the judge noted.

He observed that in today’s modern and digital era, the occurrence or non-occurrence of any incident cannot be concealed—just like the present incident, which was an open secret.

Judge Gill remarked, “In any civilised society, attacks on the police, military installations, defence buildings, national monuments, or road blockades are considered acts of highhandedness and lawlessness.”

The judge noted that in all the May 9 incidents, only military and official buildings and installations were targeted by the attackers across Pakistan.

In Lahore, the road from Sherpao Bridge to Jinnah House was especially targeted, being located in the cantonment area.

He noted that in none of the incidents was any private building or property damaged.

“So, naturally, police officials are the best witnesses to testify about the true facts and what actually happened. It is also understandable that no private witnesses were available or willing to testify, as many of them were found to be involved in the incident,” the judge observed.

The judge stated that it is now well established in various judgements of the superior courts that police officials are as credible as private witnesses, unless bias can be proven.

Regarding the four PTI leaders, excluding Mr Qureshi, the judge maintained that there was no doubt that meetings—during which the conspiracy was allegedly hatched—were convened at Zaman Park, the residence of incarcerated PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.

The judge said it was normal for the accused, being part of the senior leadership of the PTI, to remain in contact with their then chairman (Imran Khan) and to follow his directions.

He concluded that the prosecution witnesses provided an uninterrupted chain of facts regarding the commission of the offence, including arrest, identification parades, recoveries, and digital evidence (social media accounts, press clippings, news channel reports, and social media footage), covering all aspects of the case.

Mr Qureshi was acquitted after successfully proving that he was neither present at the Zaman Park meetings nor in Lahore on the day of the incident.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2025