Lahore Court Summons PTI Chairman, Issues Arrest Warrant for Shibli Faraz

 A Lahore court on Friday intensified legal action against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership by issuing a summon for the party’s founding chairman and a non-bailable arrest warrant for Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz. The case revolves around an alleged attack on Islamabad police officers stationed outside the chairman’s Zaman Park residence.

This case, registered in 2023 at Lahore’s Race Course police station, follows violent confrontations between PTI supporters and law enforcement officials.

The former prime minister and PTI chairman, removed from office in April 2022 via a no-confidence vote, has been incarcerated since August 2023 after convictions in multiple cases.

During Friday’s hearing at Lahore’s Cantt Kutchery, summons were formally issued for the jailed PTI chairman through jail authorities. The court adjourned the proceedings until July 30.

This development comes shortly after anti-terrorism courts handed down prison sentences up to 10 years for several senior PTI leaders in connection with the May 9, 2023 riots.

Notable figures sentenced include Dr. Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, while others like former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were acquitted.

Simultaneously, an anti-terrorism court in Sargodha sentenced Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Ahmed Khan Bachar, MNA Mohammad Ahmed Chattha, and several PTI workers to decade-long prison terms related to vandalism during the May 9 unrest.

These escalating judicial actions underline the intensifying crackdown on PTI leadership amid Pakistan’s ongoing political turmoil.