LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Friday declared seven leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf as proclaimed offenders and ordered the issuance of permanent arrest warrants in cases related to attacks at Club Chowk and the GOR area.
The order was passed by Administrative Judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court Munzir Ali Gul, who was hearing the proceedings. Those declared proclaimed offenders include Hammad Azhar, Zubair Khan Niazi, Akbar Khan, Masood Ahmad Subhani, Arsalan Bin Basharat, Farooq Anjum and Habib Ahmad.
According to court records, the accused are nominated in case number 852/23. The prosecution informed the court that while some of the co-accused in the same case had already been convicted and sentenced, the trial of the individuals declared proclaimed offenders would proceed separately at a later stage.
During the hearing, the government prosecutor submitted that the accused had deliberately gone into hiding to evade arrest. He said the court had repeatedly granted them opportunities to appear before it, but they consistently failed to comply.
The prosecutor argued that the continued absence of the accused amounted to a willful attempt to obstruct the legal process, warranting their declaration as proclaimed offenders and the issuance of permanent arrest warrants.
After hearing the submissions, the court accepted the prosecution’s plea and issued permanent arrest warrants for all seven individuals.
