• Trials to be held in Rawalpindi ATC
• Home dept says move will help ensure PTI founder’s security, prevent untoward incidents
RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has notified that all eleven FIRs registered against former prime minister Imran Khan in connection with the violent protests of May 9, 2023, will now be tried in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi.
The trials will be conducted via video link from Adiala jail, where the PTI founder remains incarcerated.
According to a notification issued by the Home Department, the decision has been made under Sections 15(2) and 21(2)(b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
The order directs that proceedings in all eleven FIRs — registered at various police stations, including RA Bazaar, Civil Lines, City, Waris Khan, New Town, Morgah, Sadiqabad, Saddar Wah, and Cantt — be held at the Rawalpindi ATC through video link from Adiala jail. The Home Department stated that the arrangement aims to ensure Imran Khan’s security and prevent any untoward incident during the hearings.
The fresh order replaces earlier 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 The last such notification was withdrawn by the Punjab government after being challenged before the Lahore High Court (LHC).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 the PTI’s plea challenging the government’s decision to have Imran Khan appear via video link in the case pertaining to the violent protest outside the General Headquarters (GHQ) — one of the several May 9 cases. Judge Amjad Ali Shah ruled that the provincial government’s notification was valid and that the accused would continue to attend proceedings virtually from jail.
Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9, 2023, triggered widespread riots across Pakistan, during which government buildings and military installations — including the GHQ in Rawalpindi — were stormed and vandalised. Following the unrest, dozens of FIRs were lodged against PTI leaders and supporters under anti-terrorism provisions.
The new notification consolidates all eleven Rawalpindi district cases before the same ATC, streamlining the trial process. These cases include charges related to attacks on military installations, police stations, and public property during the May 9 riots.
The order has been circulated to key officials, including the advocate general of Punjab, the registrar of the Lahore High Court, the presiding judge of the Rawalpindi ATC, and the inspector general of prisons. It also instructs the superintendent of Adiala jail to ensure Imran Khan’s safe and secure participation via video link.
Imran Khan, who was indicted in the GHQ attack case on December 5, 2024, has been incarcerated in Adiala jail since August 2023. He was subsequently arrested in additional May 9 cases in January 2024.
The PTI founder’s legal team has consistently argued that the government’s insistence on conducting the trials through video link is politically motivated and undermines the principle of open justice. However, the provincial authorities maintain that the arrangement is strictly a security measure.
With the latest notification, the stage is now set for all pending May 9 cases in Rawalpindi to proceed simultaneously in the ATC via video link — a move that could expedite proceedings but also reignite the legal debate over the right to a fair and public trial.
Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2025
