• Testing will be conducted at Rawalpindi ATC
• Home Department says move will help ensure safety of PTI founder and prevent untoward incidents
RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has notified that the eleven FIRs registered against former Prime Minister Imran Khan in connection with the violent protests of May 9, 2023 will now be tried at the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi.
The trials will be held via video link from Adiala Jail, where the PTI founder remains incarcerated.
According to a notification issued by the Department of Home Affairs, the decision was taken under Sections 15(2) and 21(2)(b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
The order directs that proceedings in the eleven FIRs, registered at various police stations including RA Bazaar, Civil Lines, City, Waris Khan, New Town, Morgah, Sadiqabad, Saddar Wah and Cantt, be conducted at Rawalpindi ATC through video link from Adiala Jail. The Home Department stated that the agreement is aimed at ensuring the safety of Imran Khan and avoiding any untoward incident during the hearings.
The new order replaces previous notifications dated June 21, 2023, October 4, 2023 and November 6, 2024, which also addressed the transfer of trial venues. The last such notification was withdrawn by the Punjab government after being challenged before the Lahore High Court (LHC).
With this latest order, the government has once again sanctioned the holding of Imran Khan’s trials through remote proceedings.
An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi had earlier dismissed PTI’s petition challenging the government’s decision to make Imran Khan appear through video link in the case related to the violent protest outside the General Headquarters (GHQ), one of several cases on May 9. Judge Amjad Ali Shah ruled that the provincial government’s notification was valid and that the accused would continue to attend the proceedings virtually from jail.
Imran Khan’s arrest on 9 May 2023 sparked widespread unrest across Pakistan, during which government buildings and military installations (including the headquarters in Rawalpindi) were broken into and vandalized. Following the riots, dozens of FIRs were lodged against PTI leaders and supporters under anti-terror provisions.
The new notification consolidates the eleven cases from Rawalpindi district before the same ATC, streamlining the judicial process. These cases include charges related to attacks on military installations, police stations and public property during the May 9 riots.
The order was distributed to key officials including the Attorney General of Punjab, Registrar of Lahore High Court, Chief Justice of Rawalpindi ATC and Inspector General of Prisons. It also instructs the superintendent of Adiala jail to ensure safe participation of Imran Khan through video link.
Imran Khan, accused in the December 5, 2024 headquarters attack case, has been imprisoned in Adiala Jail since August 2023. He was later arrested in additional cases on May 9 in January 2024.
The PTI founder’s legal team has consistently argued that the government’s insistence on conducting trials through video conferencing is politically motivated and undermines the principle of open justice. However, provincial authorities maintain that the arrangement is strictly a security measure.
With the latest notification, the stage is set for all pending May 9 cases in Rawalpindi to proceed simultaneously at the ATC via video link, a move that could speed up proceedings but also reignite the legal debate on the right to a fair and public trial.
Published in Dawn, November 1, 2025
