ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi ordered confiscation of bail and surety bonds of the guarantors of 12 convicted proclaimed offenders in the case related to May 9, 2023 PTI’s protest at the GHQ after declaring their replies submitted to show-cause notices unsatisfactory.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on each of the guarantors and warned that failure to pay would result in six months imprisonment. The order was issued by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Amjad Ali Shah.
Those declared proclaimed offenders include Omar Ayub Khan, Zartaj Gul, Kanwal Shauzab, Ashraf Sohna, Bilal Ijaz, Rashid Shafiq, Ahmed Chattha and Rai Hassan Murtaza.
The court noted that on May 5, 47 proclaimed offenders had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in the GHQ attack case, while 12 of them had earlier secured interim bail from the court. The ATC further directed that proceedings should also be initiated against proclaimed accused persons in other May 9 cases pending before the Rawalpindi ATC.
Meanwhile, the Banking Court Judge Abdul Ghafoor Kakar confirmed the interim pre-arrest bail of co-accused Siraj Ahmed and Faisal Qazi in the foreign funding case registered against the PTI founder and others by the Federal Investigation Agency.
During the hearing, special prosecutor Wasiq Malik informed the court that a complete challan had already been submitted to the registrar’s office. PTI counsel Fatehullah Barki asked whether the PTI founder would also be summoned after submission of the challan. Judge Abdul Ghafoor Kakar responded that the matter would be examined and indicated that the next hearing could be conducted at Adiala Jail. The court adjourned proceedings until June 3.
In a related development, the Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abual Hasnat Mohammad Zulqarnain extended interim bail for 243 PTI leaders and workers in multiple cases registered over the November 26 protest, Supreme Court protest and other demonstrations, while restraining police from arresting them until the next hearing.
Among those appearing before the court were PTI MNAs Umair Niazi, Latif Khosa, Junaid Akbar, Arbab Sher Ali, Sajid Khan Mohmand, Senator Falak Naz Chitrali, Khurram Sher Zaman, Raja Basharat, Raoof Hasan, Niazullah Niazi, former Azad Kashmir prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, Simabia Tahir, Nadia Khattak and retired Major Tahir Sadiq. The court directed police not to arrest any of the accused until the next hearing and adjourned the matter until July 23. Cases against the PTI leaders and workers are registered at Kohsar, Khanna, Tarnol, Karachi Company and Secretariat police stations, among others.
Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2026
