Non-bailable arrest warrants issued for CM Gandapur in GHQ attack case

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and several PTI leaders in connection with the May 9 attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) during violent protests.

The court, led by Judge Amjad Ali Shah, directed the Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) to present the suspects before the court by December 10.

Those named in the warrants include PTI leaders Shibli Faraz, Shehryar Afridi, Zain Qureshi, Tahir Sadiq, and Taimoor Masood.

This development follows the indictment of PTI founder Imran Khan, along with dozens of other PTI workers, in the GHQ attack case earlier this week.

In total, 100 people, including former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, have been indicted in the case, which was filed at the RA Bazar Police Station. Imran Khan and other indicted leaders have denied the charges.

The May 9 riots, which broke out across the country after Khan's arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with a £190 million settlement case, led to attacks on military and government installations.

At least 70 PTI leaders are accused of orchestrating the violence and inciting supporters to target military facilities.

More than 143 individuals, including Khan, have been named as accused in the case, while 23 others, including Zulfi Bukhari, Shahbaz Gill, and Murad Saeed, are listed as fugitives. All accused have also been prohibited from leaving the country.

The May 9 violence resulted in the imprisonment of hundreds of PTI workers and senior leaders for their involvement in the attacks.