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ATC Rejects PTI Plea for Imran’s Physical Appearance in May 9 Case
Rawalpindi ATC rules Imran Khan will attend GHQ attack trial via video link; defence pleads for physical presence, court cites govt notification. Next hearing Sept 23.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-09-19
ATC Rejects PTI Plea for Imran’s Physical Appearance in May 9 Case

Rawalpindi — An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday dismissed PTI’s plea seeking Imran Khan’s physical appearance during proceedings in the May 9 GHQ attack case, directing instead that the former prime minister would continue attending hearings via video link from Adiala Jail.

The May 9, 2023 arrest of Imran Khan had triggered widespread violence, with state buildings and military installations — including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi — torched and vandalised.

At today’s hearing, PTI counsel Faisal Malik opposed Imran’s appearance through video link, arguing before Judge Amjad Ali Shah that a fair trial required the accused to be present in person. He said the defence had only received a copy of the Punjab government’s notification yesterday and would approach higher courts to challenge it.

Prosecutor Zaheer Shah countered that the trial had been moved from Adiala Jail to the ATC on the provincial government’s executive order, which could only be reviewed by a constitutional court. Citing amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure and sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, he maintained that video link appearances were legally permissible and that the government was not obliged to justify the transfer order. He accused the defence of “creating hurdles in the trial and wasting time.”

After brief adjournments, the court resumed proceedings and recorded the testimony of two prosecution witnesses — Sub-Inspector Saleem Qureshi and Sub-Inspector Manzoor Shahzad. The witnesses submitted 13 USB drives containing 40 video clips related to the May 9 incidents, along with footage featuring PTI leaders Khadim Khokhar, Shehryar Afridi, Umar Tanveer, Sadaqat Abbasi, and Sikandar Mirza. Newspaper clippings covering the protests were also presented.

According to the witnesses, the digital evidence was obtained from CCTV cameras installed at various locations, including Benazir Bhutto Road, Mall Road, and Liaquat Bagh.

The court dismissed PTI’s application for Imran’s physical presence and upheld the Punjab government’s notification mandating video link appearances. It summoned 10 additional witnesses from institutions including PEMRA, FIA, PTI, PID, and the interior ministry to testify at the next hearing on September 23.

Imran Khan, indicted in December 2023, has been incarcerated at Adiala Jail since August 2023. He was arrested in the May 9 protest case earlier this year, in January 2024.

Security around the ATC was heightened during Friday’s hearing, with police reinforcing arrangements amid the sensitive nature of the case.
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