Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court Issues Arrest Warrants for PTI Workers in May 9 Cases
The Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has issued arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers who were absent from court proceedings related to the May 9 incidents.
ATC Islamabad Judge Tahir Abbas Supra conducted hearings on cases related to protests and other incidents that took place on May 9, involving PTI founder Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and several party workers. The defense was represented by Advocate Sardar Muhammad Masroof Khan, Advocate Murtaza Tori, and other lawyers.
The hearing could not progress as Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi were not present. The court adjourned the proceedings after recording the attendance of the present accused. During the session, the court also issued arrest warrants for PTI workers who were absent.
The defense lawyer argued that since PTI founder Imran Khan was unavailable, the case could not move forward. He also requested that workers coming from remote areas be granted exemption from attendance.
The judge responded by pointing out that the Supreme Court had issued directives regarding the May 9 cases, and those instructions were applicable to this case as well. However, the defense lawyer contended that the Supreme Court’s instructions were limited to Punjab.
Following the proceedings, the ATC Islamabad adjourned the hearings of all three cases related to May 9 until the 9th of May.
It is important to note that PTI workers are facing charges for the May 9 incidents at the Shams Colony police station, as well as for protests in March 2023 at the Khanna police station.
