Web Desk: An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi has sentenced 47 proclaimed offenders to 10 years in prison each in a case linked to the May 9, 2023 attacks, including the assault on the General Headquarters (GHQ), according to the verdict.
The Anti-Terrorism Court, headed by Judge Amjad Ali Shah, also ordered the confiscation of the convicted individuals’ properties.
The ruling came after the court completed proceedings against the 47 accused who had been declared proclaimed offenders for repeatedly failing to appear before the court.
According to the verdict, the accused were found to have played a role in the alleged conspiracy behind the May 9 unrest.
A joint investigation team (JIT) had identified them as key suspects in planning the incidents, the verdict said.
The accused include senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf figures Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Shehbaz Gill and Zulfi Bukhari.
Other convicted individuals include Ahmed Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra and Ejaz Khan Jazi, among others.
During the proceedings, prosecutors recorded statements from 19 witnesses in the separate trial involving the proclaimed offenders.
Overall, testimony from 44 prosecution witnesses has been recorded in the wider case, according to the information provided.
The prosecution accused the defendants of involvement in attacks on the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp and the Army Museum, as well as arson, vandalism, attacks on police personnel and damage to public property.
The case involves 118 accused. Of those, 18 remained absent throughout the proceedings, while 29 others did not appear before the court at any stage after the case was registered.
The court conducted separate proceedings against the proclaimed offenders before issuing the latest verdict.
The May 9 violence erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a corruption case in May 2023. Protesters attacked or damaged military and government installations in several parts of Pakistan, prompting a nationwide crackdown on his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
The latest ruling adds another major development to the lengthy legal proceedings arising from the unrest, with the court imposing prison terms and property confiscation on dozens of accused linked to the GHQ attack case.
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