Fourteen leaders and members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, were formally indicted on Thursday in connection with the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the army during violent protests on May 9, 2023.
The violence erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court. Riots spread across the country for 24 hours, resulting in at least 10 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and extensive damage to public properties and military installations, including Lahore’s Corps Commander House (Jinnah House), GHQ in Rawalpindi, the ISI office in Faisalabad, and several others.
In response, the government initiated a large-scale crackdown on PTI members, arresting thousands of workers and party leaders. Currently, many face serious charges and ongoing court proceedings. Other individuals indicted in this case included Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz, Shehryar Afridi, Kanwal Shauzab, Latasab Satti, and several others. A total of 113 PTI members have been indicted in the case so far.
Gandapur, Afridi, and Shauzab filed applications to challenge the framing of charges, with a hearing scheduled for tomorrow. If Gandapur attends the hearing, his arrest warrant will be canceled.
Earlier this week, Shireen Mazari was indicted alongside others, while three accused, including Qureshi, Colonel Ajmal Sabir Raja, and Sikandar Zeb, refused to sign the charge sheet, citing insufficient evidence.
Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned in Adiala Jail since August 2023, was also indicted in the case alongside several others. He was arrested by the Rawalpindi police earlier this year.
After the hearing, Qureshi told reporters that he believed the case against him was politically motivated. He denied his involvement in the protests, stating that he was in Karachi on May 9, not Rawalpindi, and requested to be heard by the party leadership.
Qureshi also suggested postponing PTI’s civil disobedience campaign and emphasized the importance of political stability for economic progress and security. He urged the government to engage in serious negotiations to resolve the situation.
