Daily Times

PTI leader Hassaan Khan Niazi, the nephew of party chairman Imran Khan, has been handed over to the military for trial for his involvement in vandalism at Lahore’s Jinnah House during the May 9 violence sparked by the former prime minister’s arrest.

It was revealed to the Lahore High Court (LHC) during a hearing on his father Hafeezullah Niazi’s petition.

According to the report submitted by the Punjab government lawyer to the high court, Hassan Nizai, who was recently arrested in Abbottabad, was handed over to the military for trial. He stated that the PTI leader is a prime suspect in the Jinnah House attack case.

Later, the court directed the Punjab government’s lawyer to inquire with the relevant authorities about arranging a meeting between the father and son.

The court granted the state prosecutor time to allow Niazi’s father to meet with his son before adjourning the hearing until 2 p.m. today.

The nephew of former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested late Sunday night (August 13) in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Hassan Niazi, a lawyer by profession, was picked up from a friend’s house after hiding for days to avoid arrest. He had just moved there a few days before.

Last month, a court began the process of declaring Imran Khan’s two sisters and Hassan Niazi proclaimed offenders in a case relating to the historic Jinnah House attack.

A military official had written to the police the day before, requesting that Hassan Niazi be handed over to him for the military trial.

The letter stated that Niazi, who “was involved in commission of offences in the incident of May 9, 2023 at Jinnah House, Lahore Cantonment, is in police custody”.

It had been “revealed to military authorities through initial investigation” that Niazi had been “found involved in commission of offences attracting the provisions of Official Secrets Act 1923 read with section 2(1)(d) (persons subject to the Act) and 59(4) (civil offences) of the Pakistan Army Act 1952, which are offences/charges triable in the domain of ‘court martial’ under the Pakistan Army Act 1952,” the letter read.

It said therefore, the “suspect […] is liable to be inquired, investigated and tried by military authorities by court martial”.

It then proceeded to request the Sarwar Road police that the “custody of the accused be delivered to military authorities in accordance with Section 549(3) (delivery to military authorities of persons liable to be tried by court martial) of the [Code of Criminal Procedure] for inquiry, investigation to the extent of charges under the provisions of Official Secrets Act 1923, and subsequent trial by the court martial under the Pakistan Army Act 1952”.