An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday re-indicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Yasmin Rashid and others in May 9 cases.
ATC Admin Judge Manzar Ali Gul heard three cases related to vandalism near Jinnah House.
The prosecution team requested amendments in the earlier indictment of the PTI leaders.
PTI leaders refused to accept the charges against them, prompting the court to summon witnesses in the cases on March 6.
Former foreign minister, currently behind bars at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, faces additional charges in eight new cases related to the May 9 violence.
Separately, a court has issued arrest warrants for Umar Ayub and other leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The case hearing against PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, Omar Ayub, and others for violating Section 144 took place before Judicial Magistrate Shahzad Khan in the District and Sessions Court Islamabad.
During the hearing, arrest warrants were issued for Omar Ayub, Aamir Dogar, and Aamir Mughal due to their absence, while the request for exemption from attendance for Shoaib Shaheen and Barrister Gohar was granted.
Barrister Gohar Khan filed a request for exemption from attendance during the hearing.
The defense’s requests for acquittal could not be heard today, leading the court to adjourn the cases until April 23.
It is noteworthy that two cases have been registered against Barrister Gohar Khan and others at the I-9 Police Station.
Earlier, an anti-terrorism court has approved the bail of 18 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers who were arrested during the protests on November 24 and 26, 2024, in Attock and Rawalpindi.
The court has ordered their release, and after spending 92 days in detention, the workers have started to be freed from Attock, Jhelum, and Adiala jails.
Defence lawyers Imran Abbasi and Faisal Malik argued that these individuals were arrested from their homes under unknown circumstances and had no charges against them.
They stated that protesting is not a crime and is a constitutional right.
The court, citing insufficient evidence, granted bail with the condition that each detainee submit surety bonds worth Rs0.1 million.
The released workers include Umar Farooq, Obaidullah Khan, Zainul Abidin, Wajahat Ali, Tayyab Nasir, Khawar Ali, Murtaza Khan, Muhammad Haroon, Lala Sher, Naeem Gul and Fatah Khan.
They had been arrested by police from Hassan Abdal Saddar police station, Hazro police station and Rawalpindi police.
Meanwhile, hearings for the bail petitions of 1,249 other arrested PTI workers are set to commence on Monday, March 3.