LAHORE (MNN); An Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore has sentenced Pir Zaheerul Hasan Shah, a senior leader of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), to 35 years and six months in prison for issuing threats against former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa.
The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Arshad Javed after the conclusion of the trial in a case registered last year. The court also imposed a fine of Rs600,000 on the convict after finding him guilty on multiple charges.
Pir Zaheerul Hasan Shah, who served as vice emir of the now-proscribed religio-political party, was arrested on July 29, 2024, from Okara. A first information report had been lodged against him at Qila Gujjar Singh police station in Lahore.
The case stemmed from a speech delivered by Shah during a protest demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club. The rally was held against a Supreme Court verdict in the Mubarak Sani case, during which Shah was accused of issuing death threats to the then chief justice.
In addition to Shah, the FIR also named around 1,500 TLP workers for allegedly issuing threats during the protest.
The prosecution charged the accused under various provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, along with sections related to spreading religious hatred and chaos, intimidating and pressuring the superior judiciary, interfering in state affairs, obstructing officials from performing their lawful duties and other related offences.
During the hearing, the court convicted Shah on all counts and awarded multiple sentences, amounting to more than 35 years in prison.
In October, the federal government officially declared Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan a banned organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act following repeated incidents of violent protests. A notification issued by the Ministry of Interior on October 24 stated that the government had reasonable grounds to believe that TLP was involved in terrorist activities.
