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ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Zain Qureshi in connection with the case registered over the Sangjani protest. The court also began proceedings to declare Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub and Zartaj Gul as absconders due to their repeated non-appearances. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra presided over the hearing, where PTI leader Ali Bukhari submitted a petition seeking exemption from attendance, which the court accepted. The non-bailable arrest warrant for Zain Qureshi was issued after his continued failure to appear despite multiple summons. Similarly, the court initiated proceedings to declare Omar Ayub and Zartaj Gul absconders for their persistent absence from court. A case against the PTI leaders had been registered at Sangjani police station under terrorism-related provisions following the protest. Meanwhile, in a separate case, the same ATC issued a notice to the police in response to a request for the provision of documents related to a narcotics and terrorism case filed against senior journalist Matiullah Jan. The case, lodged at Margalla Police Station in November 2023, accuses Jan of snatching a government-issued rifle, damaging a police vehicle at a barrier, and possessing narcotics. The initiation of legal proceedings against Jan has sparked widespread criticism from journalist bodies and human rights organizations, who argue that the case is an attempt to intimidate the journalist for his reporting on alleged deaths during a police crackdown on PTI protesters last year. At the onset of the hearing, Jan’s lawyer, Ali Ashfaq, submitted a power of attorney to Judge Sipra and argued that his client was being “portrayed as a terrorist” in the case. The judge remarked that the court must also consider the prosecution’s perspective before issuing a notice to the police for November 8 regarding Jan’s request for case documents. The hearing was adjourned until that date. Advocate Emaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, who also represents Jan, along with Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt and several other journalists, attended the proceedings in solidarity with Jan. At a previous hearing on Thursday, the ATC had rejected Jan’s plea for acquittal in the case. The case against Jan has been condemned by various media organizations and rights activists, many of whom have called for its immediate withdrawal, insisting that the charges against him are politically motivated. In another case, an accountability court (AC) rejected the post-arrest bail application of Ashraf Karim Dhedi, a member of a prominent family arrested in a money laundering case. The AC Judge Abdul Ghafoor Kakar heard the case after the lawyers’ arguments were completed during the hearing on Thursday. The court rejected the application in view of the prosecution’s arguments and evidence related to money laundering. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
