By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday sentenced 108 members of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, including senior opposition leaders, to 10 years in prison for their alleged roles in violent protests that rocked the country on May 9, 2023.
The ruling, which disqualifies key figures from Parliament, has intensified a bitter political standoff and drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates, just days before a planned PTI protest marking Khan’s two years in detention.
The Faisalabad court’s decision targets prominent PTI leaders, including Omer Ayub Khan, the opposition leader in the National Assembly; Shibli Faraz, the opposition leader in the Senate; and Zartaj Gul Wazir, a parliamentary leader in the lower house. “An anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad city of Punjab has announced the decision of sentencing 108 people from PTI,” said Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide to Khan and former federal minister, in a statement. “Their status in both houses stands disqualified.” Bukhari called the sentencing “a sad day for democracy” in Pakistan, reflecting the party’s view that the verdicts are a calculated blow to its leadership.
The protests in question erupted after Khan’s brief arrest by paramilitary forces in Islamabad on corruption charges in May 2023, a move his supporters decried as politically motivated. Demonstrations, marked by PTI flags waving across cities, turned violent as protesters attacked government buildings, military installations, and police stations. Authorities responded with a sweeping crackdown, detaining thousands of PTI members and charging dozens under anti-terrorism laws. Some cases were controversially referred to military courts, amplifying concerns about judicial overreach.
Thursday’s verdict follows a similar ruling last week in Lahore, where PTI figures such as Yasmin Rashid, a former provincial health minister; Senator Ejaz Chaudhry; Mehmoodur Rashid, a former housing minister; and Umar Sarfraz Cheema, a former provincial governor, were sentenced for their alleged roles in the May 9 riots. However, the Faisalabad court acquitted PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who remains in custody on other charges, along with his son Zain Qureshi and former federal minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain.
The sentencing comes as the PTI prepares for a major protest campaign on August 5, coinciding with the second anniversary of Khan’s imprisonment. Khan, ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, faces multiple charges he claims are fabricated to keep him sidelined. The party sees the latest convictions as an attempt to derail its mobilisation efforts. “The real purpose of these decisions is not to deliver legal justice but to make a concerted effort to prevent the public protest scheduled for August 5,” the PTI said in a statement on X, branding the cases “false, fabricated, and politically motivated.”
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan condemned the verdicts, telling reporters that those sentenced “were not supporters of political violence” and had “sacrificed their entire families yet remained committed to the system and within the bounds of Parliament.”
He warned of potential escalation, saying the party would “decide whether to return to Parliament, whether to boycott it, whether to permanently disengage from this system or whether to launch a movement.” “These verdicts are causing immense damage to the country and the nation.”
The government, however, hailed the ruling as a triumph of justice. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, in a televised address, described the trial as “very fair,” noting that it “lasted for a long time, cross-examinations were held, witnesses were presented, and the evidence was also presented.” He pointed to the chaos of May 9, 2023, when authorities say PTI supporters damaged military installations, injured law enforcement personnel, and committed arson, as a “dark” day in Pakistan’s history. “This is a victory of the law, it is a victory of the justice system in this country,” Tarar said. “Those people who thought they were above the law, that they would carry out these attacks and no action would be taken, I think their beliefs have also been proven wrong.”
Authorities report that the May 9 riots caused billions in damages and led to over 3,000 arrests in Punjab province alone. In a separate case in May, an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad sentenced PTI members, including MNA Abdul Latif, to 27 years in prison for attacking a police station during the unrest. In December 2024, military courts sentenced 85 civilians to terms ranging from two to 10 years for targeting military sites.
The PTI’s statement on X accused the government of turning the judiciary into “a rubber stamp” under political pressure, issuing “grave verdicts one after another without transparent trials, evidence, cross-examination of witnesses, or the right to defence.”
The party claimed it was the “first time” opposition leaders in both houses had been sentenced “solely based on their loyalty to Imran Khan’s political narrative, public representation, and constitutional struggle.” “Today’s sentences and the warrants issued against several other leaders this morning are all links in the chain of fear that the state system harbours toward Imran Khan’s peaceful public movement.”
Despite the crackdown, the PTI vowed resilience. “Imran Khan’s vision lives in our hearts, and our loyalty to it remains unwavering,” the party said. “Our leaders and workers are ready for every sacrifice, because we believe that only those nations survive the darkness of oppression that resist.”
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed alarm at the mass sentencing. “While those involved in violence must be held accountable, the use of anti-terror laws to try civilians raises serious due-process concerns and is symptomatic of the continued erosion of democratic values,” the group said in a statement. It called for “fair, transparent trials in civilian courts” and urged the state to “refrain from using draconian laws to stifle political dissent.”
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