An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in the garrison city on Monday indicted nine suspects, including Shireen Mazari and others including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in GHQ attack case.
The development comes days after PTI founder Imran Khan was formally charged for his involvement in the arson and vandalism at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi during the May 9 mayhem.
The nine more suspects, who have been arraigned in the case besides former federal minister Mazari are PTI leaders Rashid Hafiz, Khadim Hussain Khokhar, Zakirullah, Azeemullah, Tahir Sadiq, Mehar Javed, Chaudhry Asif and Munir.
All defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges during the hearing, presided over by ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah at a make-shift court set up in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
The court had summoned the suspects for today’s hearing session. Khan was also produced before the judge, while former PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi was brought to the facility from Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail, where he has been incarcerated.
Prosecution lawyers requested the court to cancel the bails of the suspects who skipped the hearing
“They are deliberately delaying the trial,” the prosecution contended.
Meanwhile, a plea to halt the indictment process was filed on Qureshi’s behalf under Section 265-D of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), on the basis of insufficient evidence.
