LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Friday sentenced PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and three others to 10 years of imprisonment each in a case related to the May 9 riots.
The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul inside Kot Lakhpat Jail. The court acquitted senior PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and 13 other accused.
During the trial, final statements of 21 accused were recorded, while the prosecution presented 56 witnesses. The court also noted that four accused were declared proclaimed offenders during the proceedings.
The case was registered by the Race Course Police Station over the attack on the GOR-1 gate during the May 9 violence. According to the FIR, the accused damaged security cameras, smashed police wireless equipment, broke glass panels at the gate, caused damage to government property and assaulted police personnel.
The prosecution maintained that the attack was carried out by a mob allegedly led by PTI leader Hammad Azhar and that party leaders incited workers to violence during the unrest.
This is the fifth case in which Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry have been convicted over the May 9 riots, while Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been acquitted in this case.
The verdict adds to the legal challenges facing the Imran Khan-founded PTI, with several leaders already sentenced in multiple May 9 cases, while others, including the party founder, remain jailed in various cases.
Last month, the Election Commission of Pakistan de-notified several PTI lawmakers, including opposition leaders in the Senate and National Assembly, following their convictions in May 9 cases. The move came after a special ATC in Faisalabad handed down 10-year prison sentences to several PTI leaders in a separate case linked to the May 9 violence.
On May 9, 2023, protests erupted across the country after Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises in a graft case. During the unrest, PTI supporters attacked public property and military installations, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore and the GHQ in Rawalpindi.
