Pakistan Court Sentences PTI Leaders To 10 Years In Prison Over May 9 Riots

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan on Saturday sentenced four Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, to 10 years' imprisonment for their involvement in cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots. The convictions relate to incidents of arson involving vehicles and a container during the unrest, according to a report by Geo News.

The verdict was pronounced by ATC Judge Arshad Javed inside Kot Lakhpat Jail. Along with Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, the court also handed 10-year sentences to PTI leaders Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry and several others in the same set of cases.

The cases were registered by Gulberg and Naseerabad police. The Gulberg case pertained to the burning of vehicles, while the Naseerabad case involved the setting ablaze of a container at Kalma Chowk during the May 9 violence. As per Geo News, the Gulberg police chargesheet named 33 individuals, whereas the Naseerabad police filed a separate chargesheet listing 36 suspects in connection with the Kalma Chowk container arson.

In the Gulberg case, the ATC sentenced seven accused, including Yasmin Rashid, to 10 years in prison each. Twenty-two suspects were acquitted, while four others were declared absconding. In the Kalma Chowk case, the court awarded 10-year sentences to 24 individuals, acquitted five accused, and declared seven suspects absconding. PTI leader Mian Aslam Iqbal was declared an absconder in both cases.

These latest sentences follow earlier convictions of Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry in other cases related to the May 9 riots. Notably, just a day earlier, another ATC had sentenced the same leaders, along with three others, to 10 years in prison in a separate May 9-related case. In that verdict, however, senior PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, along with 13 others, was acquitted, Geo News reported.

The May 9, 2023 violence erupted after PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in a graft case. Following his arrest, thousands of PTI supporters allegedly vandalised public property and attacked civil and military installations across the country.

Among the sites targeted during the unrest were the Corps Commander House in Lahore and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. Imran Khan, who was removed from office through a no-confidence vote, is the only prime minister in Pakistan's history to have been ousted in this manner.