- The development came after the police appealed to the court.
- The police told the court that the persons were not complying with the probe.
- The court has also extended the judicial custody of PTI leaders.
Lahore: An anti-terrorism court has approved a plea seeking Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s sisters, including Alima Khan and Uzma Khan, and their party leaders to be declared “absconders” for failing to cooperate with the ongoing investigation related to the May 9 riots cases.
The development took place after the police told the court about PTI leaders not complying with the probe and are currently in hiding despite their involvement in the cases being known.
Therefore, the police requested the court to declare the above persons as “absconders”.
Considering the request of the police, the court initiated the process with Alima Khan, Uzma Khan, Aslam Iqbal, Hammad Azhar, Farooq Habib, Murad Saeed, Zubair Niazi, Hasan Niazi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Azam Swati, Andalib Abbas and others named in the petition.
Meanwhile, the court also extended the judicial custody of leaders of the Khan-led party, including its senior leaders in Punjab Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chowdhary and former Punjab Governor Umar Sarfaraz Cheema, after the police failed to produce challans against them.
Therefore, the police were directed by the court to produce the challan in the next hearing, while the judicial custody of the above politicians was ordered to be extended.
What happened on 9th May?
Riots broke out almost across the country on 9 May following the arrest of the PTI chairman in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case, killing at least eight people and injuring many others, prompting authorities to arrest thousands of PTI workers.
During the protests, miscreants attacked civilian and military installations, including the Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House) in Lahore Cantt and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
The army considered 9 May a “black day” and decided to prosecute the protesters under the Army Act.
