A Pakistani court on Monday initiated the process to declare Imran Khan’s two sisters and a nephew proclaimed offenders in a case related to the attack on the historic Corps Commander House here after the former prime minister was arrested in an alleged corruption case in May. The Corps Commander House, also known as Jinnah House, here was vandalised and torched by a mob of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters following the arrest of the party chief Khan from the Islamabad High Court on May 9.
“The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Lahore initiated the process to declare former premier Imran Khan’s two sisters — Aleema Khan and Dr Uzma — and his nephew Hassan Niazi and 19 other PTI leaders proclaimed offenders after their constant skipping of the court’s hearing for their alleged involvement in attacking the Lahore Corps Commander House,” a court official told PTI after the hearing.
The ATC ordered the issuance of an advertisement in newspapers for August 16, directing the suspects to join the court proceedings on the next hearing otherwise they would be declared proclaimed offenders. Prominent among the PTI leaders facing proclaimed offender status are Senator Azam Swati; and former ministers Murad Saeed, Ali Amin Gandapur, Farukh Habib, Mian Aslam and Hammad Azhar.
Pakistan saw unprecedented anti-government protests following the arrest of Khan, 70, by paramilitary Rangers in a corruption case on May 9. Khan was later released on bail.
Dozens of military installations and government buildings, including the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, were damaged or torched during the riots. Over 100 vehicles of police and other security agencies were set on fire.
Law enforcement agencies have arrested over 10,000 PTI workers across Pakistan, 4,000 of them from Punjab province only.
According to Khan, over 16 PTI workers were killed in the violence. Police have put the death toll to 10.
Khan is also facing numerous cases related to attacks on military installations. Currently, he is facing over 150 cases related to terrorism, murder and blasphemy. He is reportedly under virtual house arrest at his private residence here at Zaman Park.
