LAHORE: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday sentenced several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, to 10 years in prison each in a May 9 case.
The court also sentenced former Punjab Governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema, PTI leader Senator Ijaz Chaudhry and Afzal Azeem Pahar in the same case. The verdict was earlier reserved and was announced by the ATC today.
Meanwhile, the court acquitted former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the same case. Those acquitted include Hamza Azeem Pahar, Rana Tanveer and Aizaz Rafique.
The latest verdict has dealt another blow to the party founded by Imran Khan as earlier today, another ATC in Sargodha sentenced Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Ahmed Khan Bachar, MNA Muhammad Ahmed Chatha and several other PTI workers to 10 years in prison each in a vandalism case related to the May 9 riots.
The case was registered in Mianwali for vandalism and rioting related to the protests that began on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a corruption case.
This comes after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected the bail applications of the former prime minister and PTI founder in eight separate cases related to the May 9 riots, including the attack on Jinnah House in Lahore.
The decisions add to the legal woes of the former ruling party, which had formally launched its anti-government campaign a week ago, which will reach its “peak” on the instructions of the jailed PTI founder by August 5.
Speaking at a separate press conference, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan strongly criticised recent court decisions against party members, saying that the sentences were handed down without fulfilling legal requirements and that the judiciary had “failed”.
He said the public had lost faith in the courts. “Today’s decisions are proof that the judiciary has collapsed,” he claimed, calling the decisions “controversial”.
He added that the same two witnesses were being produced repeatedly in all the cases related to May 9. Referring to the PTI founder and others, Gohar said: “They had only demanded the right to a fair trial.”
Highlighting the legal inconsistencies, Gohar stressed that under the Constitution, a case cannot be tried in different jurisdictions.
Barrister Gohar also pointed out that three PTI lawmakers, including the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, have been convicted in the same case.
For his part, Salman Akram Raja said that the conviction was not limited to PTI leaders but was an attack on democracy itself.
He expressed serious concerns over the credibility of witnesses presented in the cases, especially those being tried in Punjab. He claimed that “the same individual is making similar allegations in multiple cases across Punjab.”
He urged the judiciary and institutions to consider the implications of these actions and the precedent they set for justice and civil liberties in Pakistan.
In contrast, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik, speaking to Geo News, said that justice had been done. “All evidence was presented, all legal requirements were met,” he said, calling the PTI’s criticism politically motivated.
“This is the same party that never presented its lawyers or appeared itself,” Aqeel said, adding: “They reject any decision that goes against them, no matter how legal it is.”
He stressed that the decision was entirely in accordance with the constitution and law.
May 9th mayhem
The events of May 9, 2023 refer to the violent protests that erupted in several parts of the country following the arrest of the PTI founder and attacks on public property and military installations, including Corps Commander House Lahore, also known as Jinnah House.
The riots began after former Prime Minister Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a corruption case.
Several PTI leaders and workers were released on bail after their arrest, while several are still behind bars.
The ousted prime minister, who was ousted from power in an opposition no-confidence motion in April 2022, has been behind bars since August 2023 as he faces multiple charges ranging from corruption to terrorism.
