ATC approves transfer of eight suspects involved in attack on GHQ to military courts

PTI activists and supporters of Imran Khan stitchery successful beforehand of the main entranceway of the General Headquarters during a protestation against the apprehension of their leader, successful Rawalpindi connected May 9, 2023. — AFP

• Transfer of cases was approved by ATC Judge Hamid Hussain. 
• Four of the accused were booked successful a lawsuit registered astatine Civil Lines Police Station. 
• While 4 of the accused were booked successful the lawsuit registered astatine R A Bazaar Police Station.

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism tribunal (ATC) successful Rawalpindi connected Monday approved the transportation of 8 accused progressive successful the onslaught connected the General Headquarters (GHQ) during the May 9 riots to subject courts.

Enraged by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest, enactment supporters allegedly pillaged authorities and subject installations connected May 9.

To incorporate the violence, the authorities called successful the service and announced that the protesters would beryllium tried nether service laws. A ample fig of PTI workers and leaders were arrested successful a countrywide crackdown.

The transportation of the cases was approved by ATC Judge Hamid Hussain aft Deputy Prosecutor General Malik Rafqat Ali moved a petition seeking the transportation of the suspects to subject courts.

Two cases were registered, separately, astatine the Civil Lines Police Station and R A Bazaar Police Station against protesters that had attacked the GHQ pursuing the apprehension of Khan from the Islamabad High Court.

The accused booked successful a archetypal accusation study (FIR) registered astatine the Civil Lines Police Station are Ali Hussain, lad of Khalilur Rehman; Lal Shah, lad of Jahanzaib; Shehryar Zulfiqar, lad of Zulfiqar Ahmed and Farhad Khan, lad of Shahid Hussain Khan.

The petition to transportation these men for proceedings astatine the subject tribunal was moved by commanding officer/military serviceman Farhan Nazir Qureshi.

The ones named successful the FIR registered astatine the R A Bazar Police Station are Muhammad Idrees, lad of Muhammad Sharif; Umar Farooq, lad of Muhammad Sabir; Raja Muhammad Ehsan, lad of Muhammad Maqsood; and Muhammad Abdullah, lad of Kanwar Muhammad Ashraf Khan.

All the accused “were sent to judicial lockup arsenic they were recovered blameworthy of offences nether sections 3,7 & 9 of Official Secrets Act, 1952 work with conception 2(1)(d) of Pakistan Army Act, 1952”.

The ATC besides directed the superintendent of Adyala Jail to manus implicit the custody of accused persons to the commanding officers.

The Rawalpindi ATC approved the transportation of the accused aft a akin determination was made by an ATC successful Lahore past week. 

On May 25, an ATC allowed the handover of 16 suspects, progressive successful the ransacking and vandalising of Jinnah House, to the commanding serviceman truthful they tin beryllium tried nether the service laws.

In the order, ATC Judge Abher Gul Khan accepted the petition of the service serviceman who had sought the custody of the vandals presently confined successful Camp Jail, Lahore.

They were named successful 2 abstracted cases filed successful transportation with the onslaught connected the Corps Commander's House besides known arsenic Jinnah House.

The accused included Amar Zohaib, Ali Iftikhar, Ali Raza, Muhammad Arsalan, Muhammad Umair, Muhammad Raheem, Ziaur Rehman, Waqas Ali, Raees Ahmad, Faisal Irshad, Muhammad Bilal Hussain, Faheem Haider, Arzam Junaid, ex-PTI MPA Mian Muhammad Akram Usman, Muhammad Hashir Khan, and Hassan Shakir.