Islamabad, October 6, 2025: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Monday issued bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, and Sheikh Waqas Akram in connection with last year’s Sangjani rally case.
The case stems from clashes between PTI supporters and Islamabad police on September 8, 2024, during a public rally on the outskirts of the capital. The demonstration had called for the immediate release of imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan and denounced the government for what the party termed the “systematic marginalisation” of PTI.
Following the clashes, at least 10 PTI MNAs were arrested on September 9 and 10, 2024, from various parts of Islamabad, including within the Parliament House premises.
During Monday’s hearing, presided over by ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, lawyers Sardar Masroof Khan, Amna Ali, and Murtaza Toori represented the PTI leaders. Judge Sipra rejected Omar Ayub’s plea for exemption from attendance, noting that none of the accused had appeared before the court even once.
“None of them have appeared before the court even once,” the judge remarked, ordering that the three PTI leaders be arrested and produced before the court at the next hearing scheduled for October 20.
Reacting to the development, PTI’s central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram took to X (formerly Twitter), posting the words “warrant factories” alongside screenshots of television tickers reporting the court’s decision.
Omar Ayub, who was among the key speakers at the Sangjani rally, had addressed the gathering alongside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, Hammad Azhar, and Ali Muhammad Khan.
In the aftermath of the rally, PTI had reported that nearly a dozen of its lawmakers, including Akram, had been detained, while Ayub and Gul evaded arrest by taking shelter inside Parliament House.
Late on September 9, 2024, law enforcement agencies carried out late-night raids, arresting several key PTI members, including Sher Afzal Marwat, from inside the Parliament premises after disconnecting the power supply and entering the building’s Services Branch.
Those detained over alleged involvement in the Sangjani rally violence included Malik Amir Dogar, Ahmed Chattha, Zain Qureshi, Zubair Khan Wazir, Awais Haider Jakhar, Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah, Nasim Ali Shah, and Yousuf Khan Khattak.
The unprecedented Parliament House raid sparked a political uproar and led to a heated exchange in the National Assembly, resulting in the suspension of five security officials.
Later, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) struck down the eight-day physical remand of the PTI lawmakers on September 13, 2024, and granted them bail shortly thereafter.
