Jinnah House attack case: Court issues non-bailable arrest warrant for Alia Hamza

The jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in the May 9 Jinnah House attack case was postponed until June 14 after a key accused, Alia Hamza, failed to appear before the court yet again, reported 24NewsHD TV channel Thursday.

Presiding over the hearing inside Kot Lakhpat Jail, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Manzar Ali Gul expressed anger over Hamza’s repeated absences, rejecting her request for exemption from attendance. The court noted that she has now missed four consecutive hearings, stalling witness testimonies and slowing proceedings.

In response, the court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Alia Hamza, a show-cause notice to her guarantor, and ordered the confiscation of her bail bonds in favour of the government.

While the court approved a one-day exemption request by Khadija Shah, all other accused — including Ijaz Chaudhry, Mian Mahmood-ul-Rasheed, and Umar Sarfraz Cheema — appeared and marked their attendance inside the jail premises.

To date, 254 individuals have been formally indicted in the Jinnah House attack case. Among them are prominent PTI leaders Rubina Jamil, Alia Hamza, Khadija Shah, Ijaz Chaudhry, Cheema, and Mahmood-ul-Rasheed. The court has also declared 10 accused as absconders, while two accused have passed away during the course of the case.