Daily Times

An anti-terrorism court indicted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and 13 others in the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case stemming from the May 9 incidents,.

Chief Minister Gandapur appeared in court, leading to the cancellation of his arrest warrants. The hearing also saw the attendance of several high-profile accused, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Shibli Faraz.

The court framed charges against Gandapur and 13 co-accused, while adjourning the case until December 21. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Among those indicted were Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Shehryar Afridi, Colonel Shabbir Awan, Latasab Satti, Umar Tanveer Butt, Shibli Faraz, Kanwal Shauzab, Taimoor Masood, Saad Ali Khan, Sikandar Zaib, Zohaib Afridi, Fahad Masood, and Raja Nasser Mehmood. Thus far, a total of 113 individuals have been charged in connection with the GHQ attack case.

Chief Minister Gandapur, along with Afridi and Shauzab, filed Section 265-D applications, which the court has scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday. Additionally, Gandapur appointed Advocate Ghulam Hasnain Sumbal as his pleader in the case.

Following the court proceedings, Gandapur expressed gratitude to the judge for cancelling his arrest warrant. After the hearing, the KP Chief Minister visited Adiala Jail to meet the PTI founder.

Separately, Qureshi has called for holding dialogue instead of “confrontation”, saying that the issues should be resolved through “mutual consensus”. “Pakistan needs political stability at this time…political stability is vital for economic stability,” the former foreign minister said while speaking to journalists in Adiala Jail on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, Qureshi said that his party was being subjected to political vengeance, noting that he was in Karachi when the May 9 events took place. He pointed out that in his last meeting with the PTI founder, he suggested postponing the civil disobedience movement to “gauge the seriousness of the government for negotiations”.

Furthermore, the PTI leader asked the government to hold talks if the rulers were serious about it.

Meanwhile, PTI founder Imran Khan on Thursday warned that the first phase of the party’s civil disobedience movement – boycotting remittances – would kick off from December 22 if his “legitimate demands” were not met by the government. A statement issued on the incarcerated ex-premier’s X account shared the “important message” from Imran.

Reiterating the demands, the statement said the first phase comprising boycotting remittances would begin from Sunday if Imran’s demands were not met.

“We will appeal to Pakistanis living abroad that the situation in Pakistan is evident to you; democracy, the judiciary, and the media has been stifled, and a period of oppression and fascism is ongoing. Therefore, we urge you to start the boycott of remittances.” The statement said that the party’s offer for negotiations was ridiculed and it was framed as if the PTI had surrendered. It added that the offer for talks and delaying the civil disobedience movement was made in the “broader national interest”.