PTI founder Imran appears via WhatsApp in GHQ attack case, lawyers boycott hearing over connectivity issues
(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
In Rawalpindi, Pakistan, an anti-terrorism court pushed forward with the trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday over the violent attack on the military’s General Headquarters, or GHQ, during the May 9, 2023, protests. Those riots erupted after Khan’s arrest and led to widespread destruction of government buildings and military sites across the country.
Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), joined the hearing via a WhatsApp video call from Adiala Jail, where he’s been held since August 2023. The court had rejected his plea to appear in person last week.
But things quickly went wrong. Technical glitches plagued the video link—Khan’s voice kept cutting out, and the feed turned blurry. His lawyers, Salman Akram Raja and Faisal Malik, asked Judge Amjad Ali Shah for a chance to speak directly with their client. When that didn’t work, they boycotted the session, calling the whole process unfair.
Even so, the court moved ahead and took statements from eight witnesses. These included officials from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Pakistan Information Department (PID), according to Dawn newspaper.
Khan’s legal team slammed the move, saying they wouldn’t accept the witness testimonies under these shaky conditions. The judge adjourned the hearing and called for more witnesses to appear on September 27.
This case stems from the chaos of the May 9 protests, where PTI supporters clashed with authorities. Khan got indicted on December 5, 2023, and Rawalpindi police arrested him in January 2024, linking him to the unrest.
After the boycott, Raja spoke to reporters about the trial’s problems. He explained that a mobile phone was set up in front of Khan in jail for the video call, but the judge took it on his own phone too. “Khan couldn’t hear anything from the courtroom, and we couldn’t hear him clearly,” Raja said. “He has no idea what these witnesses are saying.”
Raja added that they begged the judge to let them talk privately with Khan, but he blamed a “weak connection” and refused. They even have a right to speak with their client alone, Raja noted, but that got denied too.
The lawyers plan to file an application challenging the proceedings, with Faisal Malik submitting it soon. “We told the court we can’t take part in this,” Raja said. “We need an open trial where the accused can actually talk to his team.” PTI has also lodged a complaint against the hearing at the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench.
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