FAISALABAD: On Wednesday, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) issued non-bailable arrest warrants for National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, and others in connection with their alleged involvement in the May 9 riots. The arrest warrants were issued due to their failure to appear before the court in a case registered at Civil Lines Police Station. Warrants have also been issued against PTI’s Kanwal Shauzab and former party leader Fawad Chaudhry.
Meanwhile, during his appearance before the court, PTI Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Junaid Afzal Sahi, along with Khayal Ahmad Kastro, who had been declared absconders for failing to appear, stated that a review petition has been filed, which has been adjourned by the court.
The case in question involves allegations of setting fire to a police van, accusing PTI leaders of aiding and abetting arson. Warrants were issued against the three PTI leaders and former minister Fawad Chaudhry over their failure to appear in the previous hearing, followed by the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants.
This development comes as the party’s leadership, including its founder Imran Khan and senior leaders like Shah Mahmood Qureshi, faces multiple legal cases stemming from the May 9 incident, in which military installations were damaged by an angry mob following Khan’s arrest in a corruption case.
After the violent incidents, those involved in the May 9 riots were tried by military courts, which handed down severe sentences ranging from two to ten years for 85 “culprits,” including ex-PM Khan’s nephew, Hassan Khan Niazi.
Although 19 out of 67 convicts have been pardoned, PTI has announced it will challenge the military court convictions, terming the trials of “civilians in military courts a blatant violation of justice.”
The issue of the May 9 riots has become a key point in the ongoing negotiations with the government, as the party demands the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the riots.
According to PTI’s written ‘Charter of Demands’, the commission — the first of two, with the second tasked to investigate the events surrounding the party’s November 2024 protest in Islamabad — should “conduct an in-depth inquiry into the legality of the events that led to Khan’s arrest.” Additionally, the party seeks an inquiry into how individuals were able to reach high-security locations, how those arrested in connection with the May 9 events were apprehended and kept in custody, and the circumstances of their release along with alleged violations of human rights.
