A major development has taken place in the May 9 GHQ attack case on Tuesday, as an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi announced its verdict against 47 proclaimed offenders.
ATC Rawalpindi Judge Amjad Ali Shah sentenced each of the accused to 10 years in prison. The court has also ordered the confiscation of their properties.
Read more: Imran Khan apologises over May 9, claims senior journalist
Who has been sentenced?
The accused include several senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and other party figures.
Those sentenced include Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Shehbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Ahmed Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra and Ejaz Khan Jazi among others.
According to the details, the accused were found to be involved in the alleged conspiracy linked to the May 9 events.
A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had also named them as key accused in the planning of the incidents.
What happened during the trial?
The prosecution recorded statements of 19 witnesses during the trial. The case has 118 accused in total.
According to the details, 18 accused remained absent throughout the trial. Another 29 never appeared before the court after the case was registered.
So far, statements from 44 prosecution witnesses have been recorded in the case. The accused were charged in connection with attacks on the GHQ Gate, Hamza Camp and the Army Museum.
The case also includes allegations of arson, vandalism, attacks on police and damage to public property.
May 9: NADRA confirms Sohail Afridi’s involvement
Previously, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has confirmed the presence of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi at the scene of the May 9 attack on Radio Pakistan and submitted its report to the Anti-Terrorism Court.
Earlier, the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory had verified the involvement of suspects in the attack. This has added weight to the ongoing investigation, reports say.
