LAHORE: In another case involving the May 9 riots, an anti-terrorism court on Thursday indicted PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, its Punjab President Dr. Yasmin Rashid, former Governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, and others.
Four cases involving the widespread violence at Kot Lakhpat Jail last year were heard by ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill.
After the accused in the case of burning police cars near Mughalpura entered not guilty pleas, the judge ordered the prosecution to call its witnesses to testify on December 2.
Three additional cases, including the attack and burning of the Shadman police station and cars close to Jinnah House in the cantonment, were postponed by the judge until November 28.
Aslam Iqbal was deemed a convicted criminal.
The absence of PTI activist Sanam Javed and former MNA Aliya Hamza Malik, who are currently out on bail, prevented the indictment of the suspects in the three cases.
Due to the fact that both women had traveled to Peshawar to attend proceedings against them, their attorneys submitted separate motions for a one-day exemption from attendance. The prosecutor was instructed by the judge to make sure that every suspect showed up for the upcoming indictment hearing.
The court indicted Mr. Qureshi and other PTI leaders on November 18 in a number of cases, including the burning of police cars outside PTI founding chairman Imran Khan’s home in Zaman Park and close to Jinnah House and Sherpao Bridge in the cantonment.
In the Sherpao Bridge case, the PTI later contested their indictment, and the court asked the prosecution to respond to their application. The suspects contended that the indictment procedure had been carried out illegally.
Declared criminal
In the meantime, the anti-terrorism court issued perpetual arrest warrants for PTI MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal on Thursday, declaring him a proclaimed offender (PO) in yet another May 9 riot case.
For refusing to turn himself in and purposefully avoiding prosecution, Gulberg police submitted a plea to the court to designate Iqbal as a PO in FIR No. 1273/23 of the Askari Tower attack.
The PTI leader’s everlasting arrest warrants were issued after the judge granted the police motion and designated him a PO in the case.
Due to his refusal to turn himself in to the authorities, MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal has already been proclaimed PO in several May 9 protest cases.
