Court declares 51 accused as proclaimed offenders
SARGODHA: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 1st, 2025) An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Sargodha on Friday delivered a key verdict in the May 9 riots case related to the attack on the Judicial Complex in Mianwali, sentencing accused Muhammad Ismail to 25 years in prison.
In a major development, the court also declared Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar, Bilal Ijaz, Ahmad Chattha, and 51 other individuals as proclaimed offenders for failing to appear before the court. The judge ordered law enforcement agencies to arrest and present the absconders within one month.
The court had previously issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Omar Ayub, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, who is also named in the same case.
The ruling followed a related decision made just a day earlier by Faisalabad’s Anti-Terrorism Court, where Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh sentenced Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, Hammad Raza and several others to up to 10 years in prison in three separate May 9-related cases.
The May 9 incidents, which took place after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, triggered violent protests and attacks on military and judicial installations across the country.
