Rawalpindi (Syed Shahid Hashmi/Court Reporter) The Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi delivered a significant verdict in the May 9 GHQ attack case, sentencing 47 absconding accused to a total of 10 years in prison and fines of 500,000 rupees each. The court also ordered the confiscation of all properties belonging to the convicted individuals. Judge Amjad Ali Shah announced the verdict, while Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah represented the government in the case. According to the court’s decision, the convicted individuals were found involved in planning the violent incidents of May 9 and in attacks at various locations. The ruling stated that, according to the JIT report, these individuals were involved in planning violent protests. The accused were also found involved in attacks on the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp, Army Museum, and Sixth Road Metro Station. The court noted that the accused faced charges of arson, vandalism, attacks on police personnel, and damaging public and national property during the events of May 9. Among those sentenced are Umar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hamad Azhar, Kanwal Shozab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Muhammad Ahmed Chatha, Raye Hassan Nawaz, Raye Muhammad Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra, and Ejaz Khan Jazi, among others. In this case, 118 accused, including the founder of PTI and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, were charged in December 2024. So far, statements from 44 prosecution witnesses have been recorded. Out of these 118 accused, 18 have been continuously absent from court during the trial, while 29 have not appeared at any stage after the case was registered. According to court records, a separate trial for the 47 absconding accused was conducted under Section 21-L of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The prosecution filed a request for action against the absconding accused under Section 19/10 on January 6 of this year, upon which the court ordered an inquiry.
In the court inquiry, the 47 accused were deliberately declared fugitives, after which the court issued advertisements in newspapers. An advertisement issued on January 8 provided the accused with the opportunity to surrender before the court within seven days; however, despite court orders and advertisements, none of the accused appeared in court. Subsequently, the court appointed a state counsel to represent the absconding accused in the case and charges were framed against them. During the trial, 19 witness statements were recorded by the prosecution, while the state counsel cross-examined the witnesses. After the separate trial of the 47 absconding accused was completed, the Anti-Terrorism Court issued the verdict and announced the sentences.