Pak court likely to indict ex-foreign minister Qureshi on Jul 15 in police station burning case, says official

Lahore, Jul 8 (PTI) Former Pakistan foreign minister and a close aide of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, is likely to be indicted on July 15 by Lahore’s anti-terrorism court (ATC) in a case related to burning down a police station during the May 9 violence last year, a court official here said.

Qureshi, the vice-chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, on Monday was transferred from the Adiala jail Rawalpindi to Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail and produced before the ATC judge for his alleged abetment in the attack on Shadman police station Lahore in connection with May 9, 2023 riots following the arrest of PTI founder Khan.

“ATC-I Lahore Judge Khalid Arshad held the hearing in Kot Lakhpat Jail as the former foreign minister was brought from Adiala jail, Rawalpindi. During the hearing, a special prosecutor handed over the copy of the challan (investigation report) to Qureshi. The judge directed the police to produce him again on July 15 for indictment,” the court official told PTI after the hearing.

Qureshi, 68, was taken back to Adiala Jail after the hearing.

The Lahore police had registered a case against a number of leaders and activists of the PTI on the charges of attacking and burning down the Shadman police station during the May 9 riots following the arrest of Khan by the Rangers in a graft case.

Besides this case, multiple cases related to the May 9 violence are lodged against Qureshi in Lahore alone.

Qureshi has been in prison since him and Khan were sentenced by a Pakistani court to 10 years in jail for violating the Official Secrets Act by making a diplomatic cable public when the PTI founder was in power.

Though the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on June 3 acquitted Khan and Qureshi in the Cipher case, suspending their 10-year sentence, the two remain in jail as they are named in multiple cases in connection with the May 9 violence across Pakistan.

The May 9 riots were triggered across the country after 71-year-old Khan was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the 190-million-pound corruption case. He is currently facing over 200 cases and has been in jail since August last year.

Hundreds of PTI workers and senior leaders were put behind bars for their involvement in violence and attacks on military installations, including the Jinnah House, ISI building in Faisalabad and General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, last year on May 9. PTI MZ SCY SCY