ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and other members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s party in a case pertaining to an attack on Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) during violent protests on May 9, 2023.
Supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after his brief arrest that day. The attacks took place a little over a year after Khan fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military, blaming the institution for colluding with his rivals to oust him from office in a parliamentary vote in April 2022. The military rejects his allegations.
Several cases against Khan and his party related to the May 9, 2023 violence were registered by the government, which also cracked down on his supporters allegedly involved in the riots. Khan’s party has chosen to distance itself from the protests and accused the country’s intelligence agencies of framing it for the violence. The military denies the accusation.
During a hearing on Saturday, Rawalpindi ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah ordered the city police chief to produce all 25 suspects, including PTI members Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, Shehryar Afridi, Zain Qureshi, Tahir Sadiq and Taimoor Masood, before the court on December 10.
“A commission should be formed under the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court to independently investigate the events of May 9 (2023),” the PTI reiterated on X. “Unjustly imprisoned political detainees should be released!“
CM Gandapur, who heads the government of Khan’s party in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has led multiple protests in recent months to demand Khan’s release from prison and to challenge results of the Feb. 8 national election.
On Thursday, Khan, along with several others, was indicted on charges of inciting his supporters to attack the GHQ in Rawalpindi last year, his party said.
“Indictment was announced within Adiala prison premises,” the PTI said, referring to the jail in Rawalpindi where Khan has been incarcerated since last year.
Nearly 2,000 people were arrested following the May 9 protests and at least eight were killed. The government had called in the army to help restore order.
Khan, who remains a popular figure in Pakistan despite several court cases against him, has led a campaign of unprecedented defiance against the country’s powerful military.
He has also accused the military of rigging the February 8 election in collusion with the election commission and his political rivals to keep him from returning to power. The military, election commission and Khan’s rivals deny the allegation.
Court issues warrants for several members of ex-PM Khan’s party in Pakistan Army headquarters attack case
https://arab.news/2v3sy
Court issues warrants for several members of ex-PM Khan’s party in Pakistan Army headquarters attack case
- Khan supporters attacked the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, other military installations on May 9, 2023, following his brief arrest in a land graft case
- His PTI party says a commission should be formed under the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court to independently investigate the events of May 9, 2023
Pakistan accepts Trump’s invitation to join ‘Board of Peace’ for lasting peace in Gaza
- Pakistan’s foreign office hopes board’s efforts lead to permanent ceasefire in Gaza, independent Palestinian state
- UAE, Egypt, Israel, Bahrain and others have also accepted Trump’s invitation to join body that aims to resolve conflicts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office announced on Wednesday that Islamabad has accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his Board of Peace (BoP), hoping it would lead to the implementation of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The White House last week announced the names of some members of the BoP, a global body that aims to restore peace in areas affected by conflict including Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire has been in place since October 2025. Chaired by Trump, the board would include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Pakistan joins the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Vietnam in joining the BoP. Israel announced on Wednesday its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also be a member of the board.
“In response to the invitation extended to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif by the President of the United States, H.E. Donald J. Trump, Pakistan would like to announce its decision to join the Board of Peace (BoP) as part of its ongoing efforts to support the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan under the framework of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
The foreign office said Pakistan hoped concrete steps will be taken toward the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians as well as reconstruction of Gaza with the creation of the board.
The statement said Islamabad also hopes these efforts will lead to the realization of the right to self-determination of Palestinians through a “credible, time-bound political process, consistent with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions, resulting in the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
“Pakistan looks forward to continue playing a constructive role as part of the Board of Peace for the achievement of these goals as well as to end the suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” the statement concluded.
Pakistan has consistently supported the demand for Palestinian statehood under UN resolutions and has publicly criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza, while also opposing broader regional escalations, including attacks on Iran.
According to the BoP’s charter seen by international wire agency AFP, the board is “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
As chairman of the BoP, Trump has the power to pick members of an executive board to be “leaders of global stature” to “serve two-year terms, subject to removal by the chairman,” the board’s charter as seen by AFP reads.
