By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore sentenced four prominent leaders of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to 10-year prison terms on Saturday in two cases stemming from the violent riots that swept the country in 2023 after the arrest of the party’s founder, Imran Khan.
The convictions, handed down by Judge Arshad Javed of Anti-Terrorism Court-III during hearings at Kot Lakhpat jail, involved charges related to the burning of police vehicles in Lahore’s upscale Gulberg neighborhood and the torching of a container near the busy Kalma Chowk intersection. The sentences add to a mounting legal toll on Khan’s party amid what its supporters describe as a sustained government crackdown.
Rana Mudassar, the counsel for the PTI leaders, confirmed the verdicts in a statement. The defendants, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, were among those found guilty in both cases, which prosecutors tied directly to the nationwide unrest on May 9, 2023. That day’s chaos erupted shortly after Khan, a former prime minister, was detained on corruption charges, igniting protests that raged for at least 24 hours across Pakistan.
Demonstrators vandalised and set fire to government buildings and military installations, and in Lahore, they stormed the residence of the local corps commander. In the aftermath, authorities initiated a broad sweep against PTI, filing multiple cases against Khan and his top aides. In the Kalma Chowk case, the judge sentenced a total of 22 accused to 10 years in prison while acquitting five others. In the Gulberg case, sentences were imposed on five individuals, including the four PTI leaders, with 22 others acquitted.
Judge Javed noted that Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister and another senior PTI figure, had not yet been indicted in either case. His trial would proceed separately once prosecutors submit a supplementary challan, or charge sheet. Prosecutors presented a total of 78 witnesses across both proceedings. In the Gulberg case, a challan was filed against 33 individuals, with four others declared proclaimed offenders during the trial. For the Kalma Chowk case, the challan targeted 36 people, while 12 others — including Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed, Zubair Niazi and Mian Aslam Iqbal — were labeled absconders. The prosecutor argued that the PTI leaders had instigated party workers to revolt and create public disorder, fueling the mayhem that gripped Lahore and other cities.
Speaking to the media after the hearings, Mudassar decried the process, saying the cases had been scheduled for routine proceedings but that “sentences have been handed down once again in the darkness of night.” He added that the defence was not given the chance to fully present its case. “The morale of the prisoners in Kot Lakhpat Jail is high,” Mudassar said. “So far, the leaders have been sentenced to a total of more than 200 years.” He vowed that the sentences would be challenged in the high court.
Saturday’s verdicts mark decisions in seven of the 14 cases related to the May 9 riots that were registered in Lahore. Previous rulings have come in trials over an attack on Shadman Police Station, violence at Sherpao Bridge, the burning of police vehicles near Rahat Bakery, the torching of a Supreme Court judge’s squad vehicle near Jinnah House, and an attack on the entrance gate of the GOR-I Club Chowk.
The convictions deepen the legal woes for PTI, which has seen its influence wane since Khan’s ouster from power in 2022 through a no-confidence vote. Mr. Khan himself remains imprisoned, facing a slew of charges that his allies insist are politically motivated.
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