Lahore court to declare several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf leaders “proclaimed offenders” in May 9 violence case

Islamabad: A Lahore anti-terrorism court (ATC) has begun the process of proclamation against several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leaders who were not arrested in connection with May 9 violence as they had “concealed themselves”, Dawn reported on Wednesday. 

The leaders facing proceedings in the said cases include some mainstream politicians, namely Farrukh Habib, Azam Swati, Hammad Azhar, and Murad Saeed. 
They have been named in the two cases registered at Lahore’s Sarwar Road police station in relation to the May 9 violence. 

The protests had erupted in several cities following the arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court premises in the Al Qadir Trust case, Dawn reported. 
While the protests were underway, several public and private properties, including military installations, were vandalized, over which the PTI continues to face a crackdown. 

The two cases were taken up by the ATC Judge Abher Gul Khan today, who said in separate but similar orders that investigating officers had obtained non-bailable arrest warrants for the suspects from the court on July 6 and handed them over to Sub-Inspectors (SI) Shahzad Akram and Tanveer Ahmad. 
The SIs conducted raids for the arrest of the suspects, but they “could not be arrested as they concealed themselves for the fear of their arrest”, Dawn reported citing the order. 

“In this respect, separate statements of the process server have been recorded today. Let, as per request of the investigating officers, proclamations under Section 87 of the Code of Criminal Procedure be issued against the above-named accused for September 13,” the order stated.