ATC hands 10-Year jail terms to 47 PTI leaders in May 9 GHQ attack case

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday sentenced 47 proclaimed offenders—including several senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)—to 10 years in prison for their involvement in the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi during the violent unrest of May 9, 2023.

The verdict was delivered by District and Sessions Judge Amjad Ali Shah, who presides over Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) No. 1 in Rawalpindi. The 16-page detailed judgment held several prominent PTI figures guilty in the case registered at RA Bazar Police Station.

Those sentenced include PTI leaders Hammad Azhar, Omar Ayub Khan, Zartaj Gul, Senator Shibli Faraz, Murad Saeed, Shahbaz Gill and Zulfi Bukhari. Former lawmakers Kanwal Shauzab, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Muhammad Ahmed Chattha and Sheikh Rashid Shafique were also among those convicted.

The court imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on each convict and ordered confiscation of their properties in favour of the state.

The case stems from the nationwide riots that erupted after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023. Protesters stormed and vandalised several government and military installations, including GHQ in Rawalpindi, the Army Museum, Hamza Camp and the Sixth Road Metro Station.

According to the verdict, the accused were found involved in planning and carrying out attacks on GHQ Gate No. 1 and other public facilities. The court observed that charges of arson, vandalism, assaults on police officials and destruction of government property had been proven against them.

A total of 118 individuals—including Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi—were indicted in the case. Statements of 44 prosecution witnesses have been recorded so far.

The court noted that 18 of the accused repeatedly remained absent during the trial despite having full knowledge of the proceedings, while 29 others never appeared before the court after the case was registered.

Consequently, a separate trial of 47 proclaimed offenders was conducted under Section 21L of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Imran Khan, who has been in custody since Aug 5, 2023, was indicted in the case on Dec 5, 2024, and formally arrested by Rawalpindi police in the GHQ attack case in January 2024.

The court directed that conviction warrants be sent to Rawalpindi’s Central Jail and the SHO of RA Bazar police station, ordering that the convicts be sent directly to jail upon arrest or appearance. Perpetual non-bailable warrants have also been issued.

In its judgment, the court said prolonged and unexplained absence of accused persons in criminal cases created a strong inference of guilt unless convincingly rebutted.

The court also cited international jurisprudence on trials in absentia, referencing rulings of the US Supreme Court, provisions of the UK’s Criminal Justice Act 2003 and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. It noted that Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act offered greater safeguards by guaranteeing legal representation and the right to retrial upon surrender.

The court clarified that the convicted individuals could seek a retrial on merit under Section 19(12) of the Anti-Terrorism Act if they surrendered within two months or later with valid justification for their absence.

The prosecution had sought action against the proclaimed offenders earlier this year, after which a judicial inquiry declared all 47 accused as wilful absconders. A proclamation published in the daily Nawa-i-Waqt on January 8 gave them seven days to surrender, but none appeared before the court.

PTI reaction

Reacting to the verdict, PTI termed the decision politically motivated and “contrary to the basic principles of justice."

In a statement, the party said several leaders had been convicted in absentia and described the ruling as another example of political victimisation in Pakistan.

“These decisions cannot suppress the voice of the people nor halt the party’s democratic struggle,” the statement said, adding that PTI would challenge the verdict through all constitutional and legal avenues.

The party further alleged that the justice system was being used for political purposes, claiming that the case against its leadership formed part of a broader campaign of political engineering.

PTI demanded an immediate end to what it called a “chain of political vendetta," urging authorities to uphold constitutional supremacy and release political prisoners.