ATC Issues Non-Bailable Arrest Warrants for PTI Leaders Over May 9 Riots
ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in connection with their alleged involvement in the May 9 riots.
The warrants were issued after the leaders failed to appear in court for a case registered at the Civil Lines Police Station. The case pertains to the alleged arson of a police van, with PTI leaders accused of aiding and abetting the act.
Warrants have also been issued against PTI leader Kanwal Shauzab and former party member Fawad Chaudhry, who were absent from the previous hearing.
During the court proceedings, PTI Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Junaid Afzal Sahi, who, along with Khayal Ahmad Kastro, had been declared an absconder for failing to appear, revealed that a review petition had been filed but was adjourned.
The May 9 riots, triggered by the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in a corruption case, saw widespread violence, including attacks on military installations. The riots have since been attributed to the PTI by the former Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, the caretaker administration, and the current government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—a claim consistently denied by the PTI.
Several PTI leaders, including Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, are entangled in multiple legal cases related to the incident. Military courts have already convicted 85 individuals linked to the riots, sentencing them to prison terms ranging from two to ten years. Among them was Imran Khan’s nephew, Hassan Khan Niazi.
Of the 67 convicts who filed mercy petitions, 19 have been pardoned. The PTI has announced plans to challenge the convictions in military courts, arguing that the trials of civilians by military tribunals violate principles of justice.
The May 9 riots have become a focal point in PTI’s ongoing negotiations with the government, with the party demanding the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the events.
