Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and 99 other PTI leaders were indicted for their alleged role in the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi that occurred on May 9, 2023. Meanwhile, several senior party leaders, including former law minister Raja Basharat, were taken into custody outside the Adiala Jail.

The unrest began following Khan’s arrest from the premises of the Islamabad High Court on May 9, which sparked nationwide riots lasting over 24 hours. Violent protests resulted in the deaths of at least 10 individuals and left hundreds injured.

At least 40 public buildings and military facilities, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House), Askari Tower in Lahore, the GHQ in Rawalpindi, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Office in Faisalabad, FC Fort in Chakdara, Radio Pakistan in Peshawar, the Toll Plaza at Swat Motorway, and the Mianwali Air Base were vandalised.

In total, 62 incidents of violence were recorded, leading to an estimated loss of Rs2.5 billion to the country, with the military claiming that Rs1.98 billion of this loss was incurred by their forces.

There are over 143 accused in the GHQ attack case registered at RA Bazar police station, including the PTI founder.

In a hearing on Thursday, Khan was indicted alongside other prominent party figures, including former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, ex-law minister in Punjab Raja Basharat, and PTI leader Zartaj Gul Wazir.

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Basharat was allowed to leave the jail during the proceedings but was subsequently arrested outside. Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and PTI MNA Ahmad Chatta were also taken into custody.

Police have confirmed that Gul and Fawad Chaudhry were not arrested. But a PTI staff member, Azimuddin, also known as Bala, was apprehended.

The hearing regarding the GHQ case has been adjourned until December 10.

In a statement released on X, the PTI condemned the recent arrests, claiming that the government’s actions reveal “the existence of an undeclared martial law in Pakistan.”