May 9 Cases: Court Initiates Action Against Guarantors of Accused Including Khadija Shah

ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court has initiated action against guarantors of several accused, including Khadija Shah, for failing to ensure their appearance during trial proceedings in the May 9 cases.
During the hearing, Judge Manzar Ali Gill issued notices to two guarantors of Khadija Shah — Jahanzeb and Murad Ali — who had each submitted surety bonds worth Rs500,000. The court directed both to appear on April 25.
Khadija Shah had secured bail in the Askari Tower attack case; however, she later went missing after being convicted in another May 9-related case.
The court also issued notices to guarantors of other accused, including Abu Bakar Ashraf and Imran (guarantors of Zain-ul-Hasan), Abdul Latif (guarantor of Ahmad Ali), Adnan Aslam (guarantor of Usman), and Hashim and Qasim (guarantors of Hamza, who had furnished surety bonds of Rs200,000 each).
Judge Gill observed that it is the responsibility of guarantors to ensure the accused appear before the court, adding that repeated absences have delayed trial proceedings.