LAHORE: The Punjab Home Department has ordered that 11 criminal cases stemming from the May 9, 2023 unrest in Rawalpindi be tried in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), Rawalpindi, with former prime minister Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi to attend proceedings by video link from Central Jail Adiala. The department said the arrangement aims to “ensure his protection and avoid any untoward incident,” while consolidating related First Information Reports (FIRs) before the same court for expeditious trial.
According to the documents available with The News, the Punjab Home Department superseded three earlier orders dated June 21, 2023; Oct 4, 2023; and Nov 26, 2024, and invoked sections 15(2) and 21(2)(b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (ATA) to sanction the venue and security modality. Section 15 empowers special courts in place of trial and transfer arrangements, while section 21 authorises protective measures for judges, prosecutors, witnesses and persons connected with proceedings measures that Pakistani courts and policymakers have increasingly interpreted to include secure attendance via video link when necessary for safety and order.
The eleven FIRs registered in Rawalpindi at RA Bazar, Civil Lines, City, Waris Khan, New Town, Morgah, Sadiqabad, Taxila, Saddar Wah and Cantt police stations will proceed before the ATC Rawalpindi. Case numbers include FIR 708/23 (RA Bazar), 981/23 (Civil Lines), 563/23 (City), 914/23 (Waris Khan), 2106/23 (New Town), 397/23 (Morgah), 2076/23 (Sadiqabad), 940/23 (Taxila), 744/23 and 948/23 (Saddar Wah) and 836/23 (Cantt). The order directs immediate compliance by the Advocate General and Prosecutor General Punjab, the Lahore High Court Registrar, the ATC Rawalpindi judge, the Punjab police and prisons chiefs, Rawalpindi’s deputy commissioner and city police officer, and the superintendent of Adiala Jail, among others.
The May 9 cases relate to violent protests that erupted nationwide after Mr Khan’s arrest, including attacks on public buildings and military sites—events that have since spawned parallel proceedings in anti-terrorism courts and, in some instances, military courts following subsequent judicial rulings.Courts across Pakistan have also grappled with when and how to use video-link attendance for security and logistical reasons, particularly for high-profile detainees, an approach previously endorsed in principle by the Islamabad High Court to reduce risk and disruption.
Thursday’s order centralises the Rawalpindi-based FIRs before a single ATC and formalises Mr Khan’s remote attendance from Adiala Jail, signalling a renewed push for consolidated, security-conscious trial management in the long-running May 9 litigation landscape. Recent proceedings in other May 9 matters have likewise involved directions for video-link appearances, with defence counsel contesting the practice on transparency grounds in separate forums.
