- Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Bhachar also indicted
SARGODHA: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Sargodha on Tuesday indicted Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Opposition Omar Ayub Khan in Mianwali judicial complex’s attack case related to May 9 riots.
ATC Judge Muhammad Naeem presided over the proceedings of the case and indicted various leaders, including Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar.
All the accused, however, pleaded not guilty. Later, the court summoned the witnesses on the next hearing and adjourned the hearing till February 28.
As many as 57 people are named in the case along with 150 unknown individuals, the police said in a statement.
The indictment comes weeks after the Faisalabad ATC issued non-bailable for Ayub and Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, and others in a case related to their alleged involvement in the May 9 riots.
The arrest warrants, issued over failure to appear before court in a case registered at Civil Lines Police Station, have also been issued against PTI’s Kanwal Shauzab as well as former party leader Fawad Chaudhry.
The latest addition to the NA opposition leader’s legal challenges comes as the PTI’s leadership, including its founder Imran Khan along with senior leaders such as Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others, remains embroiled in a plethora of legal cases owing to the May 9 incident which saw military installations being vandalised by an angry mob following Khan’s arrest in a graft case.
The riots have since been blamed on the PTI by both the then-Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, the caretaker government and the current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration — an allegation vehemently denied by the former ruling party.
Speaking to the media earlier, Ayub censured the federal and provincial government for “destroying the country” and called for fresh elections in the country.
The opposition leader further complained of the party’s legal woes and claimed that the PTI founder’s wife, Bushra Bibi, was not being allowed to meet the incarcerated prime minister.
“The delay in our cases is due to the lack of the supremacy of the Constitution in the country,” he remarked.
Addressing the martyrdom of security forces personnel and officers in terrorist attacks, the politician further called for the formation of a commission to probe the factors and reasons behind them.
