Pakistan ex-PM Imran, other PTI leaders indicted in May 9 GHQ attack case

Tariq Butt, Correspondent / Reuters

A Pakistani court on Thursday indicted former prime minister Imran Khan and other Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI )leaders in connection with the May 9, 2023, attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ).

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) indicted Imran  on charges of inciting his supporters to attack the country's military and its installations in 2023, Geo TV reported. The attack occurred during the violent protests that erupted across Pakistan following Khan’s arrest.

Imran pleaded not guilty to the charges while the court also indicted more than 60 others in the same case, Geo TV and ARY News reported.

In a separate development, a local  court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Imran's wife, Bushra Bibi, in a graft case, local TV ARY News said, a move that could lead to her rearrest two months after she was freed from jail on bail.

The court in Islamabad issued a fresh warrant in her name in the same case on Thursday, ARY News reported, potentially allowing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan's anti-graft agency, which enjoys jurisdiction across the country, to arrest her.

Thousands of supporters of Imran Khan had attacked and torched several military buildings and offices on May 9 last year to protest against his arrest on graft allegations.

At least eight people were killed in the violence.

Imran faces anti-terrorism charges in connection with the violence, considered the most serious challenge to the power of the military in Pakistan's history. Several of Khan's supporters have already been sentenced in connection with the violence.

The 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been named in dozens of cases since he left office in 2022 and has been behind bars for more than a year.

Earlier, a special court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana case for failing to appear in court for the past 10 hearings.

The case was heard by Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand of a special court of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The case was adjourned till Monday. The court also issued a notice to the guarantor of the accused. Last month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted bail to Imran in a recent Toshakhana case while the government ruled out his release due to the pending bail in cases against him.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were apprehended in the case on July 13, following their acquittal in the Iddat case the same day. While she had secured bail in the case from the IHC in October, allowing her to be freed from jail, the PTI founder has remained incarcerated since his arrest on Aug.5 last year in a separate Toshakhana case.

In the most recent case, the FIA accused the couple of retaining an expensive Bulgari jewellery set gifted by a foreign leader - including a necklace, earrings, bracelets, and rings - at a low price, saying it caused significant loss to the exchequer. In September, Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand had set the couple's indictment in the case for October 2.

However, it was deferred to October 5 on the defence counsel's request for more time. A day before that, Judge Arjumand had rejected their post-arrest bail petitions. On Oct 24, a day after the IHC approved her bail plea in the case, Bushra was released from Adiala Jail Rawalpindi. Bushra Bibi has been in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) after the PTI leadership retreated from Islamabad following police crackdown on their protest.