Sargodha: On Tuesday, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Sargodha indicted Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, and several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders for their alleged involvement in the May 9 attack on Mianwali's judicial complex.
Alongside Ayub, Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar was also named in the indictment.
The accused, however, denied the charges against them, and the court adjourned the hearing until February 28, summoning witnesses for the next session. The case involves 57 named individuals and around 150 unidentified persons, according to police reports.
The indictment follows a recent move by an ATC in Faisalabad, which issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Ayub, Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, and other PTI figures in connection with the May 9 riots. The warrants were issued after the accused failed to appear in a case registered at Civil Lines Police Station. Arrest warrants have also been issued for PTI's Kanwal Shauzab and former leader Fawad Chaudhry.
This legal challenge adds to the growing list of cases faced by PTI leadership, including its founder Imran Khan, senior leaders like Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and others, in connection to the May 9 incident. The riots saw an angry mob attack military installations following Khan’s arrest on corruption charges. Both the then-Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government and the caretaker government, as well as the current administration of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have blamed PTI for the violence. PTI, however, has denied these allegations.
In response to the unrest, the government pursued military court trials for those involved, sentencing 85 individuals to harsh penalties, ranging from two to ten years. Although 19 of those convicted have been pardoned, PTI has vowed to challenge the military court convictions, criticizing the trials of civilians in military courts as a violation of justice.
Speaking to the media, Ayub condemned the government's handling of the situation, accusing them of "destroying the country." He also criticized delays in PTI’s legal cases and claimed that his party’s leader, Bushra Bibi, was being denied access to her incarcerated husband, Imran Khan. Ayub emphasized the need for fresh elections and called for a commission to investigate the martyrdom of security forces in recent terrorist attacks.
