By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court acquitted Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister and prominent leader of opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, on Friday in a case tied to violent riots in 2023, even as it sentenced four other senior party figures to 10 years in prison each, deepening the legal entanglements that have sidelined much of the party’s leadership.
The verdict, announced by Judge Manzar Ali Gill inside Kot Lakhpat Jail, convicted Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry, all from Imran Khan’s PTI party. Three additional defendants received the same sentence, while 13 others were acquitted alongside Qureshi.
The case centered on an attack on the entrance gate of a government officers’ residence in Lahore during the unrest on May 9, 2023, when PTI supporters reacted to Khan’s arrest by vandalising military installations and public properties. Prosecutors accused the defendants of damaging security cameras, smashing police wireless equipment, breaking glass panels, destroying government property and assaulting officers, with the mob allegedly led by another PTI leader, Hammad Azhar.
The Race Course police station filed the case against 25 suspects, submitting a formal charge sheet. In the trial, statements from 21 defendants were recorded, and the prosecution called 56 witnesses. Four defendants were declared proclaimed offenders after failing to appear.
This was the fifth conviction for Dr. Rashid, Cheema, Rashid and Chaudhry in May 9-related cases. Earlier rulings covered an attack on the Shadman police station, violence at Sherpao Bridge, the burning of police vehicles near Rahat Bakery and the torching of a Supreme Court judge’s squad vehicle near Jinnah House. The decisions have intensified the challenges for PTI, founded by Khan, with numerous leaders imprisoned and the former prime minister himself detained on multiple charges. Accusations against party figures include inciting workers to rebellion and violence during the protests. The court required attendance from both detained defendants and those on bail.
Last month, the Election Commission of Pakistan de-notified several PTI lawmakers, including Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz and National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan, following their convictions in May 9 cases. The action came after an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad sentenced Ayub, Faraz, Zartaj Gul and others to 10 years each over violence at the Civil Lines police station.
The May 9 riots erupted after Khan was taken into custody at the Islamabad High Court in a corruption case. Thousands of his supporters stormed sites across the country, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore and the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, targeting civilian and military installations. Khan remains the only prime minister in Pakistan’s history ousted by a no-confidence vote. While some arrested PTI members have secured bail, many others stay behind bars.
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