Lahore High Court Refuses to Hear Zartaj Gul’s Appeal Without Surrender, Orders Appearance

Lahore: The Lahore High Court has refused to hear the petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zartaj Gul without her surrendering first, and has ordered her to appear before the court.
The appeal hearing took place against the sentences in three separate cases related to the May 9th incidents. The Chief Justice of Lahore High Court, Justice Aalia Neelum, directed that Zartaj Gul must first surrender before the court, after which her appeal would be heard. A two-member bench, headed by the Chief Justice, upheld the objection raised by the Registrar Office.
Zartaj Gul, who was convicted in connection with the May 9th events, filed the appeals against her sentences. The Registrar Office had earlier raised an objection, stating that since Zartaj Gul is a convicted person, she must surrender first as her appeal would not be admissible without it.
Zartaj Gul, through senior lawyers Mian Mohammad Hussain Chotia and Barrister Ali Zafar, had filed three separate appeals against the sentences handed down by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Faisalabad in connection with the May 9th incidents. The ATC Faisalabad had sentenced her to ten years in each of the three cases.
The Lahore High Court’s Registrar Office maintained its objection that Zartaj Gul’s appeal could not be heard until she surrendered.