Rawalpindi: In a major legal development in the May 9 GHQ attack case, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi on Tuesday concluded the trial of 47 absconding suspects, sentencing each to 10 years in prison and ordering the confiscation of their properties.
According to the court judgment, the convicted individuals were found guilty of central involvement in plotting, conspiring and facilitating the May 9 violence, as established by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
During the separate trial, the prosecution presented statements from 19 witnesses to substantiate charges of incitement, arson, vandalism and attacks on sensitive public and military installations, including the GHQ gates, Hamza Camp, and the Army Museum. Overall, the prosecution has recorded statements from 44 witnesses in the broader case.
Among the 47 convicted absconders include Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Sheikh Rashid Shafique, Murad Saeed, Zulfi Bukhari, Shahbaz Gill, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shandana Gulzar, Hammad Azhar, Azam Swati, Shibli Faraz, Kanwal Shauzab, Ahmed Chatha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra, Ijaz Khan Jazi and others.
Out of 118 total suspects nominated in the GHQ attack case, 18 were declared absconders during the course of the trial, while 29 failed to appear before any court following the initial registration of the case.
