LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 24 suspects including PTI leaders in a case of setting ablaze a container in front of Gulberg national park during the May 9 riots.

       Former state minister Farrukh Habib, Zain Qureshi, son of party’s vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr. Azeemuddin Lakhvi, Shakil Ahmed Niazi, Malik Ehtesham, Khawar Shahzad, Rana Bilal Ijaz, and Chaudhry Asif Ali are among the suspects for whom the court issued the arrest warrants.

       Judge Muhammad Naveed Iqbal issued the order on an application of the investigating officer.

       The IO said the suspects went into hiding to evade their arrest.

       He said the suspects had also been charged with the offence of inciting party workers to violence and causing disturbances.

       The judge also declared 12 other suspects proclaimed offenders in a case of torching police vehicles in the Mughalpura area during the May 9 riots.

       The suspects include Muhammad Akbar, Muhammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irshad, Maqsood Masih, Bashir Ahmad, Naveed Ahmad, Asad Ali, Elahi Bakhsh and Ghulam Haider.

       Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2024