An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan on Monday dismissed a plea for acquittal filed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case linked to the May 9 unrest.
The application, filed under Section 265K of Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure, was rejected after prosecutors argued they had sufficient evidence to proceed.
The May 9, 2023, violence erupted following Khan’s arrest in a corruption case, triggering widespread protests. Key incidents included attacks on the Jinnah House in Lahore and the military’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, among other high-profile sites.
Last month, Khan and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders were formally charged in connection with the GHQ attack.
Prosecutor Zaheer Shah told the court that 12 prosecution witnesses had already recorded testimonies implicating Khan. "The evidence is sufficient to proceed, and an acquittal application cannot be entertained during the trial,” Shah said.
Advocate Faisal Malik, representing Khan, argued there was no direct evidence linking his client to the GHQ attack. He pointed out that Khan was not named in the initial First Information Report (FIR) and was arrested a year after the incident.
“There were no recoveries made during Khan’s two-day physical remand, and no instigation or abetment charges were framed in the FIR,” Malik said. He added that a key prosecution witness, Asmat Kamal, had his testimony dismissed by a Sargodha court, making it inadmissible in the current case.
Malik described the allegations as "baseless and frivolous” and stated that an acquittal application under Section 265K can be filed at any stage of the trial.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the ATC judge dismissed Khan’s acquittal plea, allowing the trial to proceed.
The GHQ attack case remains one of the most high-profile legal battles stemming from the May 9 unrest, further intensifying the political and legal challenges faced by the PTI founder.
