LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court indicted 31 PTI leaders and workers, including party’s Punjab president Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, ex-governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and ex-minister Mehmoodur Rashid, in another May 9 case, on Wednesday.

The suspects were indicted for their alleged role in the burning of the PML-N office in Model Town.

Police presented the incarcerated leaders before the court while those out on bail including social media activist Sanam Javed appeared on their own to attend the trial proceedings against them.

Judge Arshad Javed of the ATC-III framed charges on 31 suspects who pleaded not guilty. After the denial of the charges by the suspects, the judge directed the prosecution to present witnesses for their testimonies at the next hearing on Jan 22.

The judge announced that the next hearing will be conducted at Kot Lakhpat jail.

‘Shame on PPP’

Speaking to the media, Ms Rashid criticised the PPP leadership over the lack of government compliance with the production orders issued by Senate chairman for Ejaz Chaudhry in Tuesday’s Senate session, according to a Dawn.com report.

She said President Asif Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari “should be ashamed of themselves” that no one was listening to the Senate chairman. She added that the government was violating the sanctity of the upper house of parliament. “Our workers were sentenced by military courts, hundreds of our workers are being imprisoned and the media is being silenced by creating an atmosphere of fear,” she alleged.

Ms Rashid alleged that her party was being suppressed through the 26th Constitutional Amendment and the government was ignoring the Senate chairman’s order. “We condemn Ejaz Chaudhry’s exclusion from the meeting,” she said adding that “Pakistan cannot move forward until

justice is done.”

Ms Rashid has been in prison for more than a year and a half now in connection with multiple cases against her regarding the events of May 9.

She was first detained on May 12, 2023, under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance and later arrested for her alleged involvement in the May 9 riots.

Separately, Gilani had issued a production order earlier this week for Chaudhry, who has been incarcerated for 18 months, so that he could attend the Senate session.

This was not the first production order issued for the senator, who is imprisoned at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail. In March last year, he was due to be produced in the Senate but was unable to attend the session.

Bail plea of Imran’s niece

Meanwhile, another ATC disposed of a pre-arrest bail petition of Hajra Niazi, a niece of PTI founder chairman Imran Khan, in the corps commander house attack case, after police investigating officer informed the court that she was not required in the case.

Based on the statement of the investigating officer, her counsel requested to withdraw the bail application.

Judge Manzer Ali Gill allowed the request and disposed of her bail petition.

Separately, the judge extended pre-arrest bail of other women suspects, including Beena Zeeshan, Raheela Kausar and Syeda Fatima Haider, till Jan 28. Similarly, the judge extended the bail of Bilal Ijaz and of Azeemullah in the Jinnah House attack and two other cases till Jan 31 and till Feb 1, respectively.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2025