An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for more than 40 leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over their failure to appear in a case linked to the May 9 protest outside the General Headquarters (GHQ). The proceedings were presided over by ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah.
During the hearing, defence lawyers sought permission to meet PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail. They told the court that access to their client was necessary to obtain instructions for the effective handling of the pending cases.
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The defence maintained that although instructions had previously been taken, direct consultation remained essential for proper legal representation. They argued that denial of access was affecting their ability to participate meaningfully in the proceedings.
Opposing the request, the special prosecutor submitted that Imran Khan was on bail in the May 9 GHQ attack case and was not in the custody of the ATC. He further informed the court that the PTI founder had since been convicted in another case.
The prosecutor argued that as a convicted prisoner, Imran Khan was under the authority of the jail superintendent, who was empowered by law to regulate meetings. He said the issue raised by the defence did not fall within the jurisdiction of the ATC hearing the GHQ attack case.
In response, defence counsel adopted a firm stance, stating that they would not take part in the proceedings until access to their client was granted. The court, meanwhile, took notice of the absence of several accused and issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 40 to 45 individuals who failed to appear.
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The court also provided defence lawyers with a copy of a Punjab government notification regarding the conduct of the trial through a video link. The notification, issued on October 30 last year, states that proceedings in the May 9 GHQ attack case are to be held via video link.
The hearing was adjourned until January 20. Separately, hearings in two other related cases were adjourned due to the unavailability of judges, with new dates fixed later this month and in February.