For the 11th time in a row, the hearing for the May 9 GHQ attack case was postponed in Rawalpindi’s Anti-Terrorism Court on Tuesday. The proceedings, which have now been adjourned until January 20, remain stalled thanks to ongoing technical troubles — the video link system at Adiala Jail and the courtroom is still out of order.
Despite the Punjab Home Department’s directive on October 30 to use video link or WhatsApp calls for these trials, nothing has changed. Each time the court has convened, it’s issued fresh instructions to the Adiala Jail superintendent and the district administration: fix the video link system. Yet, after more than two months, the system still isn’t operational.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Faisal Malik, attended the hearing and asked for access to his client, who remains behind bars at Adiala Jail. “We need instructions from the PTI founder for these cases,” he told the court.
Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah pointed out that Imran Khan is out on bail in the GHQ attack case, meaning he’s not in the anti-terrorism court’s custody. But Shah also clarified that Khan is no longer just an accused — he’s a convicted man. The defence, he added, should approach the correct legal forum for any relief.
Just days earlier, on December 20, a special court handed Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi 17-year sentences in the Toshakhana-II case, a scandal marked by claims that the couple unlawfully kept a pricey Bulgari jewelry set gifted by the Saudi Crown Prince.
“The convicted person is with the jail superintendent, who also manages visitation,” the prosecutor remarked.
Faisal Malik, Khan’s lawyer, made it clear: “Until we can reach the PTI founder, we won’t take part in the judicial process.”
The courtroom responded in turn, issuing non-bailable arrest warrants for 40 to 45 absent accused. Defence lawyers were given a copy of the video link trial order from the Punjab Home Department.
Judge Amjad Ali Shah presided over the session and pushed the hearing to January 20.
Later, Faisal Malik spoke to reporters and stressed the PTI founder should be produced in court for these May 9 cases. He said, though Khan remains in Adiala Jail, he’s on bail for these particular charges. Malik added that when a person is convicted in one case,
