Rawalpindi police arrest Imran Khan in the GHQ attack case

ATC judge rejects police plea for physical remand of PTI founder.

RAWALPINDI: Imran Khan, the incarcerated former prime minister and founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the GHQ attack that caused the May 9 mayhem.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi summoned the PTI founder, who is already in jail on cipher and graft charges, in May 9 cases today (Tuesday).

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However, the PTI founder attended the court proceedings via video link because Adiala jail authorities were unable to produce him in court due to security concerns.

During the hearing of the cases, RA Bazar Police Station officials sought physical remand of the PTI founder in the May 9 cases, but ATC Judge Malik Aijaz Asif denied the request.

The ATC judge ordered police to question the PTI founder at Adiala prison.

The development comes just days after PTI senior leader Shah Mahood Qureshi was arrested in the May 9 cases after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the cipher case.

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A Rawalpindi local court remanded Qureshi to Adiala jail for 14 days in connection with May 9 cases, including the attack on GHQ on December 28, 2023.

Qureshi was initially arrested from Adiala Jail in connection with a GHQ attack, but 12 other cases related to violent May 9 protests were later filed against him.

In May last year, Khan’s alleged supporters and workers attacked and ransacked military installations, including GHQ, in protest of the party chief’s arrest in a graft case.

Following the May 9 mayhem, dozens of PTI leaders and workers were arrested, and several leaders broke ranks with Khan over the riots, which they blamed on the former premier’s confrontational politics.