ISLAMABAD:
The key witness in the GHQ attack case testified in the Anti-Terrorism Court on Thursday, saying that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was involved in spreading hatred against the military and the state institutions in the country.
During the hearing of the case, related to the attack on the GHQ gate on May 9, 2023, against the PTI founder Imran Khan and others inside the Adiala Jail, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Riaz, who was the complainant of the case, said that the PTI wanted to spread chaos and anarchy in the country.
On Thursday, prosecution witness SI Riaz recorded his statement before ATC Judge Judge Amjad Ali Shah amid the ruckus created by the defence lawyers. On that the judge issued a show-cause notice to the defence lawyers for contempt of court.
SI Riaz testified that DVDs and other evidence received from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were played on a big screen in a joint investigation team’s (JIT) meeting.
After seeing all the evidence, it was proven that the PTI as a party was involved in spreading hatred against the army and state institutions to spread chaos and anarchy in the country. He added that USBs and DVDs related to the provocative speeches of the PTI founder and Shehryar Afridi, and about the spot and surrounding areas, were seized in his presence.
During the hearing, the defence lawyers insisted on calling in senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja to the court. Prosecutor Zaheer Abbas Shah objected to the request, saying that Raja had not assisted the court even for a single day, rather he wanted to come inside to plot violent protest.
The PTI founder had announced that he would lead the protest across the country from inside the jail and Raja wanted to consult with the PTI founder to finalise the conspiracy against the state and state institutions. Shah said that no political meeting could take place during the court proceedings.
However, the protest by the defence lawyers continued and at one point they also warned by boycotting the proceedings. The ATC expressed his anger over the situation and issued show-cause notices to the defence lawyers for contempt of court.
Because of protest, the statements of two more prosecution witnesses, Sub-Inspector Saleem Qureshi and Manzoor, could not be recorded. Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned until June 21 inside the Adiala Jail.
During the hearing, JIT Convener SP Faisal Saleem also appeared in court, however, SSP Investigations Rawalpindi did not appear despite the court summon. The judge issued notices of the SSP investigation and sought reply until June 11.
PTI founder Imran Khan was produced in the court, while several accused, including Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, Amjad Niazi, Usman Dar and Fawad Chaudhry, appeared in court to attend by the hearing
