RAWALPINDI: Police have detained 532 suspects in connection with violent protests on May 9 and the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) and other sensitive installations.

Police have been verifying their alleged involvement in the attack on GHQ and other sensitive installations to determine whether or not they should be tried under the Army Act, 1952. Only after the verification will the cases be sent to military courts, according to sources.

The suspects have been detained after FIRs were registered with the Rawal­pindi, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal police.

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Out of the 532 suspects, 374 had been arrested under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, which outlined punishments for acts of terrorism.

The sources said that police investigation into the GHQ attack case has not been finalised as the verification of suspects — two of whom were women activists — was underway.

They said raids were being conducted to arrest all those who have been nominated in the FIRs or identified through CCTV footage, human intelligence and other sources.

Several suspects have fled their homes over fears of arrest.

A senior police official said every individual wanted in connection with the violence on May 9 will be apprehended and prosecuted at all costs.

The Rawalpindi police have registered 18 FIRs and arrested more than 356 suspects.

So far, more than 105 suspects have been held in connection with the GHQ attack and the identification parades for 23 have been completed.

In Rawalpindi district, the cases have been registered with the City Police, New Town, Sadiqabad, Cantt, R.A. Bazar, Race Course, Westridge, Civil Lines, Morgah, Taxila, Saddar Wah, and Kallar Syedan.

Earlier, the police department had sent the names of 245 PTI activists, including three former members of the Punjab assembly, to the federal government for inclusion in the Provincial National Identification List (PNIL) to prevent them from going abroad. These names, according to sources, were also sent to the FIA to restrict their travel via air, land or sea routes.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2023