ATC takes up May 9 riot cases today
The special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) will hear all 14 cases related to the May 9 riots, including the attack on GHQ, today (Saturday).
However, the GHQ attack case will once again not be held as a jail trial. The last jail trial took place on February 25.
Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the special ATC will be preside over today's proceedings at the District Courts, rather than at the jail premises. The Supreme Court (SC)'s directive to complete trials related to the May 9 events within four months has been officially conveyed to all 11 special ATCs judges across Punjab.
A special meeting was recently held under the supervision of Justice Shahbaz Rizvi, the supervising judge of Lahore High Court (LHC) for anti-terrorism courts. The meeting, attended by all ATC judges from the province, reviewed the SC's orders regarding the four-month trial deadline and the proceedings related to military court trials. A province-wide decision was made to expedite the hearing of terrorism-related cases.
In connection with this, today's hearings are expected to be particularly significant. In the GHQ Gate 1 attack case, two witnesses – Magistrate Mujtaba Hassan and Sub-Inspector Riaz – have been summoned for the seventh time. Copies of challans (charge sheets) will also be distributed among the nominated accused in the cases of GHQ Gate 4 attack, attack on the Army Museum, arson at a sensitive agency's building in Saddar, the burning of a Metro Bus station in New Town, and vandalism at a sensitive agency's office. Dates will be fixed for the formal framing of charges in all these cases.
The court has summoned all the accused for today's session. Given the simultaneous hearing of 14 cases, police have enforced strict security measures at the District Courts.
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