RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan sentenced 47 proclaimed offenders to 10 years in prison each in connection with the attack on the army’s headquarters during the unrest of May 9 riots in Pakistan.
Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the Anti-Terrorism Court announced the verdict in the case related to the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ).
The court also imposed a fine of 500,000 Pakistani rupees on each convict. It ordered the confiscation of their movable and immovable properties.
Those convicted include several leaders and former lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), among them Omar Ayub Khan, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Ahmad Azhar, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Kanwal Shauzab, Hammad Azhar and Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, among others.
The court said the accused were declared proclaimed offenders and tried separately under the Anti-Terrorism Act after repeatedly failing to appear during the trial.
According to the ruling, the convicts were involved in planning violent protests linked to the May 9 unrest. A joint investigation team found them central to the conspiracy behind the attacks.
The court said the accused were involved in attacks on the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp, the Pakistan Army Museum, and the Sixth Road Metro Station. They also faced charges of arson, vandalism, assaults on police, and damage to government property.
The ruling noted that a total of 118 suspects, including Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were indicted in the case in December 2024.
So far, the prosecution has recorded statements from 44 witnesses. The court said 18 suspects remained absent during the trial, while 29 never appeared in court after the case was registered.
The court conducted a separate trial of 47 proclaimed offenders under Section 21-L of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Prosecutors filed an application on January 6 this year to proceed against the absconding suspects. The court launched an inquiry and later declared them deliberate fugitives.
Authorities published notices in newspapers on January 8, giving the suspects seven days to surrender. None appeared before the court.
The court then appointed a state counsel and framed charges in their absence. Prosecutors later recorded testimony from 19 witnesses, and the defense counsel cross-examined them.
After completing the trial, the court sentenced all 47 fugitives to 10 years in prison, imposed fines, and ordered the confiscation of their properties.
Police had registered the case over the May 9 attack at R.A. Bazaar Police Station.
