LAHORE: Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and 20 other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders were indicted on Monday in connection with the Race Course violence case, linked to the May 9 unrest.
The trial, presided over by a special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), was held at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail.
Charges were formally framed against Qureshi, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, former Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, and others for allegedly inciting and planning violence at the Race Course police station. The case is part of a broader investigation into the violent protests that erupted following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The court summoned witnesses for the next hearing, signaling the start of an evidence-based phase in the case. Defense counsel has questioned the credibility of the charges, with attorney Dr. Babar Awan stating, “The cases are built on shaky grounds, and key testimonies have already been retracted.”
In a related development, three PTI leaders who previously agreed to testify against their party—Sadaqat Abbasi, Waseem Qayoom, and Umar Tanveer Butt—have officially retracted their statements. Appearing in Rawalpindi on Monday, the leaders requested to withdraw their confessional testimonies, which the police had relied on to strengthen their case.
As a result, the investigation team has removed their names from the list of approvers and added them to the accused. Defense lawyers argue that this weakens the prosecution’s case significantly.
Addressing the media on Saturday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had presented what he described as “irrefutable evidence” against PTI leaders. He claimed that CCTV footage linked senior figures to orchestrated attacks on sensitive national installations in cities including Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar.
“This was no spontaneous unrest; it was a well-planned conspiracy to destabilize the country,” Tarar alleged, calling on the judiciary to expedite the trials. He emphasized that the evidence supports charges under anti-terrorism laws.
The court granted exemptions to several PTI leaders, including Zain Qureshi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, and Zartaj Gul, from appearing personally in the case. Supplementary charge sheets against prominent figures like Imran Khan, Qureshi, and Shibli Faraz were also submitted by investigators.
The case is part of an ongoing judicial effort to address the political and legal fallout from the May 9 events, which have been described as one of Pakistan’s most politically charged periods. The next hearing is scheduled for December 2, with the nation closely watching developments in this high-stakes trial.
