ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Monday issued bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, and Sheikh Waqas Akram in connection with the Sangjani rally case from September last year.
The case stems from violent clashes that erupted between PTI supporters and Islamabad police on September 8, 2024, during a rally demanding the release of former prime minister Imran Khan and denouncing what the party described as systematic marginalisation by the government.
The confrontation had led to the arrest of several PTI lawmakers from different parts of the capital, including the Parliament House.
ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra presided over the hearing, where defence counsels Sardar Masroof Khan, Amna Ali, and Murtaza Toori represented the PTI leaders. The judge rejected an exemption plea filed on behalf of Omar Ayub, noting that none of the accused had appeared before the court since proceedings began.
“None of them have appeared before the court even once,” Judge Sipra remarked, before issuing bailable arrest warrants and directing that the accused be produced at the next hearing scheduled for October 20.
Following the development, PTI’s central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram criticised the court’s decision on social media platform X, posting “warrant factories” alongside screenshots of media reports covering the warrants.
Omar Ayub had been one of the key speakers at the Sangjani rally, alongside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, Hammad Azhar, and Ali Muhammad Khan.
The crackdown following the rally saw law enforcement agencies arrest multiple PTI lawmakers in late-night raids across Islamabad. Some, including Ayub and Gul, had taken refuge inside the Parliament House to avoid arrest.
In one of the most dramatic episodes, security personnel entered the Parliament premises after midnight on September 9, 2024, reportedly cutting power to the Services Branch before detaining several lawmakers. The arrests triggered an uproar in the National Assembly and led to the suspension of five parliamentary security officials.
Days later, the Islamabad High Court struck down the extended physical remand of the detained legislators and approved their bail, criticising procedural irregularities in the case.
