ATC Issues Non-Bailable Arrest Warrants for Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz in May 9 Case

FAISALABAD: A court for anti-terrorism (ATC) today issued warrants of arrest without bail to National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, as well as others in connection with their suspected role in the May 9 violence.

The warrants of arrest for inability to appear before a an indictment filed at the Civil Lines Police Station, were also issued to PTI’s Kanwal Shauzab and the former leader of the party Fawad Chaudhry.

In the meantime, expressing his thoughts in his appearance before the judge, PTI member provincial assembly (MPA) Junaid Afzal Sahi — who, along alongside Khayal Ahmad Kastro were declared an absconder for failing in appearing — claimed that a review petition had been filed and has been put on hold by the judge.

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The case, which is concerned the burning of an officer’s van, has accused PTI members of aiding and encouraging arson. Warrants were issued to three PTI leaders as well as former minister Fawad for their inability to appear at the last hearing, which has now taken the form of issue of arrest warrants that are non-bailable.

The news is happening as the leadership of the party which includes the party’s founder, Imran Khan as well as senior leaders like Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others are still embroiled in a myriad of legal cases due to the incident on May 9, which saw military structures being vandalized by a rage crowd following Khan’s arrest the case of graft.

The riots were later attributable to the PTI by both the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government as well as the government of caretaker along with the Premier Shehbaz Sharif’s administration an assertion that has been vehemently debunked by the previous PTI government.

Following the violent events throughout the country, people who were involved in the riots of May 9 were convicted by military courts that gave harsh punishments ranging from 2 to 10 years for an aggregate of 85 “culprits” which also included the nephew of former PM Khan Hassan Khan Niazi.

Though 19 convicts had since been granted pardons out of 67 people who submitted mercy petitions and the PTI has decided to challenge military court verdicts of its supporters and workers in a statement that calls those trials “civilians in the military courts a blatant violation of justice”.

The question of the May 9 riots have also been a major issue in the ongoing talks with the government since the party has requested the establishment of a judicial panel to look into the violence.

According to the PTI’s written “Charter of Demands”, the commission -one of two, with the second is tasked with investigating the what transpired during the protest held by the party in November 2024 at Islamabad — will “conduct an in-depth inquiry into the legality of the events that led to the arrest of Khan”.

Alongside investigating the manner in which individuals in groups were able access to numerous high-security areas The party is also seeking to inquire into the method that those detained in connection with the incidents on May 9 were detained and held in detention and the reasons of their release, as well as an allegation of a violation of human rights.