FAISALABAD; A special anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad on Thursday sentenced several senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Senator Shibli Faraz, and former federal minister Zartaj Gul, to 10 years imprisonment in a case related to the May 9, 2023 riots at the Civil Lines Police Station.
The verdict was part of proceedings against 185 accused individuals. The court convicted 108, including Sunni Ittehad Council chief MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza, who was also given a 10-year jail term.
However, former PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi, and Khayal Ahmad Kastro were acquitted in the case.
In a separate case also linked to the May 9 incidents and registered at the Civil Lines Police Station, the court sentenced 28 out of 32 accused, while acquitting four individuals.
In another related case at Ghulam Mohammadabad Police Station, 60 out of 67 individuals were convicted. Among the seven acquitted was PTI leader Junaid Afzal Sahi, who, however, received a separate three-year sentence in the same case.
Reacting to the string of judgments, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan criticized the court decisions, stating that a total of 45 years in prison had been collectively handed down to party leaders within just three days.
“These decisions will harm democracy,” Gohar said in a media statement, adding, “People look to the judiciary with hope, but they are now disappointed. There’s still time to safeguard the system. We want it to work, and we want democracy to strengthen.”
The recent verdicts follow earlier 10-year prison sentences awarded to PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed in the May 9 violence case. Others convicted include former Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, and Afzal Azeem Pahat.
Earlier, a special ATC in Sargodha had sentenced Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Ahmed Khan Bachar, MNA Mohammad Ahmed Chattha, and several PTI workers to 10 years each for their alleged involvement in vandalism during the May 9 protests.
These back-to-back convictions have intensified legal challenges for the former ruling party, which recently kicked off an anti-government campaign, expected to culminate on August 5 as per directives of the incarcerated PTI founder.
In a parallel judgment, the same court acquitted former information minister Fawad Chaudhry and PTI leader Zain Qureshi, son of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, citing lack of sufficient evidence and failure to establish their direct involvement in any violent acts.
These decisions follow a wave of recent convictions in other parts of the country. In Lahore, an ATC earlier sentenced senior leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, and Senator Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry to 10 years’ imprisonment in the Sherpao Bridge violence case.
In Sargodha, PTI’s opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Ahmad Khan Bhachar, and MNA Mohammad Ahmed Chattha were also sentenced to 10 years on charges of vandalism and incitement. Both were later disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan following the verdicts.
In Islamabad, PTI MNA Abdul Latif and former MPA Wazir Zada Kalashi were convicted in the Ramna Police Station attack case, receiving cumulative sentences of over 27 years. However, the Islamabad High Court later acquitted four co-accused in the same case due to lack of evidence.
The PTI has denounced the convictions as politically motivated and announced plans to challenge them in appellate courts. The party maintains that these cases are being used to suppress its leadership and dismantle its organizational structure.
Government officials, on the other hand, have defended the court rulings, saying they reflect the state’s commitment to accountability and the rule of law in response to unprecedented attacks on public and military institutions.
The convictions and ongoing trials are expected to play a critical role in shaping Pakistan’s political environment, especially in the lead-up to future elections. Appeals in many of the cases are currently underway.
