GUJRAT: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Gujranwala issued non-bailable warrants of some witnesses in the case of Wazirabad attack on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for not appearing in the court to record their statements.

ATC judge Naeem Saleem conducted the trial of the case for two consecutive days -- Tuesday and Wednesday.

The judge ordered to issue arrest warrants of witnesses belonging to the PTI including Hammad Azhar, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Muhammad Sarfraz, Umar Jameel, Dr Iftikhar, Raja Shakeel Zaman, Amna and Shaneela Ali as none of them appeared before the court for recording statements.

The Wazirabad station house officer was directed to produce these people before the court on the next hearing on Dec 11.

At least 37 people from the prosecution recorded their statements in the court and now the five doctors who conducted the autopsy of the deceased man in the incident would also record their statements on the next date of hearing.

Advocate Mian Dawood represented main suspect Naveed Araen in the Wazirabad attack case whereas advocates Imran Abbas Sipra and Iftikhar Shirwani represented co-accused Tayyab and Waqas in the court.

Meanwhile, a Gujranwala ATC on Thursday extended the physical remand of 13 PTI workers who were arrested in connection with a case lodged against them by city’s Tatley Aali police station for their protest demonstration on Nov 24 last.

The suspects were presented before the court by the police after completion of their earlier remand of two days. However, they were again handed over to the police for four days.

SUCCUMBS TO INJURIES: A lawyer who was shot at and injured allegedly by his brother in Dinga died in a hospital of Lahore on Thursday.

Mirza Shoaib Jarral, a member of the Gujrat District Bar Association, and his mother, Shehnaz Begum, were injured in firing by Humayun Gulzar over a domestic dispute in Garhiwala mohallah, Dinga town, on Nov 16.

Both the injured were taken to the Dinga Civil Hospital from where Jarral was shifted to Lahore due to his critical condition where he died on Thursday.

Police claimed the suspect had already been arrested and now shifted to Gujrat district jail on judicial remand.

Dinga Police had lodged a case against the suspect under sections 324 and 440 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the report of the injured lawyer.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024