- ATC announces verdict on Gulberg, Kalma Chowk incidents.
- PTI’s Mian Aslam Iqbal declared absconding in both cases.
- ATC sentences 24 to 10 years each prison in Kalma Chowk case.
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday sentenced four Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders — Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and several others to 10 years in prison in cases related to the May 9 riots.
ATC Judge Arshad Javed announced the verdict inside Kot Lakhpat Jail.
The cases, registered by Gulberg and Naseerabad police, related to the burning of vehicles in Gulberg and a container at Kalma Chowk during the May 9 riots in 2023.
The Gulberg police’s chargesheet named 33 individuals, while Naseerabad police submitted a separate chargesheet listing 36 suspects connected to the Kalma Chowk container arson case.
In the Gulberg case, seven suspects — including Rashid — have been sentenced to 10 years each, 22 have been acquitted, while four suspects have been declared absconding.
In the Kalma Chowk case, the ATC sentenced a total of 24 individuals to 10 years each, acquitted five, and declared seven suspects absconding.
The sentences follow five earlier convictions of Rashid, Cheema, Mahmoodur Rashid, and Chaudhry in cases linked to the May 9 riots.
The court declared PTI’s Mian Aslam Iqbal absconding in both cases.
The PTI leaders’ jail sentences come just a day after another ATC handed them and three others 10-year jail sentences in a case related to the May 9 riots.
The court, however, acquitted Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a senior party leader and a former foreign minister, and 13 others.
May 9 riots
Thousands of supporters of Imran Khan stormed public property and military installations, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore, on May 9, 2023, in protest against the former premier’s arrest.
The riots erupted after the PTI founder was taken into custody from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a graft case.
During the unrest, the supporters of Khan — the only prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be ousted via a no-confidence vote — targeted civil and military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
Several PTI leaders and workers were released on bail after their arrests, while many remain behind bars.
Toshakhana-2 case sentences
Earlier today, a special court sentenced PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years’ imprisonment each in the Toshakhana-2 case involving under-priced purchase of luxury state gifts.
The latest conviction adds to a series of legal troubles for the jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, who has been behind bars since August 2023, and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a separate land graft case.
Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand pronounced the verdict after conducting 80 hearings at Adiala jail. The case involves the acquisition of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set at a nominal price.
According to the judgment, Imran and Bushra were jailed for 10 years each under sections 34, 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code and an additional seven years’ imprisonment each under section 5 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) 1947.
They were also fined a total of Rs16.4 million. The judgment read that the court, while passing the sentences, considered Imran’s old age and the fact that Bushra Bibi is a woman.
