An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has sentenced 47 proclaimed offenders in the May 9 GHQ attack case to 10 years in prison each.

 

ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah delivered the verdict, which also included a fine of PKR 500,000 for each convict and an order for the confiscation of their properties.

 

Those sentenced include Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Umar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab and Rashid Shafiq. Other accused named in the verdict are Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Muhammad Ahmad Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz and Rai Muhammad Murtaza.

 

Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra and Ijaz Khan Jazi were also among those served fines.

 

The court said that the accused were involved in attacks on the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp and the Army Museum.

 

According to the verdict, a joint investigation team (JIT) had identified the individuals as central figures in planning violent protests.

 

The charges included arson, vandalism, assault on police personnel and damage to government property on May 9. Initially, charges were framed against a total of 118 accused, including PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in December 2024.

 

The ATC noted that statements of 44 witnesses had been recorded. During the trial, 18 accused remained continuously absent, while 29 others did not appear in court after case registration.

 

The court clarified that under the Anti-Terrorism Act, a separate trial was conducted for 47 proclaimed offenders. The prosecution had filed a plea for action against these absconding accused on January 6 this year. On January 8, notices were issued for the 47 individuals.

 

The court stated that the accused were given seven days to surrender. Despite the notices and court orders, none of them appeared before the court.