ATC rejects Imran Khan pleas in GHQ attack case, hearing to proceed

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s petitions seeking to halt proceedings in the May 9 General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case and to obtain CCTV footage of a recent hearing. Presided over by Judge Amjad Ali Shah, the court took up two defence applications: one for provision of the September 19 court-proceedings footage and another to pause the trial pending a higher court’s decision on transferring the jail trial. Khan was produced virtually via a WhatsApp link. His counsel argued they could not effectively proceed without adequate consultation with the former prime minister and contended that a WhatsApp call should not be deemed a proper video-link appearance. The court noted the defence had consulted Khan during the last hearing, after which the proceedings were boycotted, and observed that trials cannot be stalled on such grounds. The prosecution maintained the defence was stalling and pointed to Lahore High Court directions that neither footage nor transcripts be shared. Defence counsel Salman Akram Raja countered that the court functions under the Constitution, not government instructions, and pressed for a fair-trial guarantee. After hearing both sides, the ATC rejected the pleas and adjourned the matter to September 27, noting that statements of 41 witnesses have been recorded so far. Background proceedings indicate Khan and dozens of PTI workers were indicted in December 2024, with more than 140 people named as accused and several listed as fugitives. The charges stem from the violence that erupted nationwide after Khan’s arrest, during which civil and military installations, including Jinnah House and GHQ, were attacked.