RAWALPINDI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Wednesday has issued arrest warrants for several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including former president Dr Arif Alvi and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur in in connection with the November 2024 protest cases.Other names include leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, former Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) chief minister Khalid Khurshid, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Hammad Azhar and several other senior PTI leaders.
Special police teams have been formed to carry out the arrests following the court’s orders.It is pertinent to mention here that on Tuesday, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore sentenced eight leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — including Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry, and Omar Sarfraz Cheema — to 10 years in prison each for their involvement in the Sherpao Bridge arson and incitement case, related to the May 9 protests.
Khalid Qayyum, Riyaz Hussain, Ali Hassan and Afzal Azeem Pahat were among those who were sentence to imprisonment.
However, the court acquitted six individuals, including former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Hamza Azeem.ATC Judge Arshad Javed delivered the verdict inside Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail under strict security measures. All the accused were present when the verdict was announced.
The case was registered at Sarwar Road Police Station, accused the defendants of inciting violence, delivering provocative speeches, and causing damage to public property, all falling under terrorism-related charges.