RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has canceled the jail trial of all May 9 cases, including the GHQ attack case, and withdrawn its earlier notification.
A fresh notification has now been issued, under which the hearing of the GHQ attack case and 11 other May 9 cases will be conducted in the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court. As per the new notification, the former chairman will attend proceedings via video link, while the remaining accused will appear in person before the court.
Following this development, the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Special Court has fixed September 19 as the date for hearing the cases and directed the superintendent of Adiala Jail to make arrangements for the former chairman’s appearance through video link. The court has also informed the lawyers of the accused.
According to the former chairman’s lawyer Faisal Malik, under the Punjab government’s latest notification, the former chairman will only be presented before court via video link when required. He said that the defence will challenge this arrangement in court, maintaining that if there is no trial inside the jail, the former chairman should be physically produced before the court.