Non-bailable warrants issued against top PTI figures over Sangjani rally

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in the federal capital on Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in connection with the party’s Sangjani rally held in September 2024.

ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra conducted the proceedings and ordered the arrest of former National Assembly Speaker Omar Ayub, PTI leader Zartaj Gul, and the party’s Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram.

The court directed the police to arrest and produce the PTI leaders before it by October 20.

“The three leaders have not appeared before the court even once,” remarked Judge Sipra while rejecting Omar Ayub’s plea for exemption from appearance.

The case pertains to PTI’s rally in Islamabad’s Sangjani area last year, which was held to demand the release of the party’s incarcerated founder Imran Khan, who has been behind bars since August 5, 2023, in multiple cases ranging from terrorism to corruption.

The fresh arrest warrants are expected to further compound PTI’s legal and political troubles, as several senior party figures including Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Yasmin Rashid are already in custody.

The party has also lost its opposition leaders in the NA and the Senate after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Ayub and Shibli Faraz as the leaders of the opposition in both houses, respectively after the two were convicted in May 9 cases.

Apart from external challenges, the PTI is also battling internal rifts with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur acknowledging that tensions and groupings exist within the party last month.

Meanwhile, as reported by The News, PTI founder Khan, during his meeting with CM Gandapur last month, stressed that there was no space within the PTI for those attempting to create rifts.

The former prime minister has also directed the party leadership to act firmly against baseless statements and negative propaganda that undermine internal trust.