Pakistani court sentences 47 PTI leaders, supporters to 10 years in prison in May 9 case

A Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday convicted 47 persons, including Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Shehbaz Gill, and Hammad Azhar, to 10 years of imprisonment each in a case related to the May 9, 2023 riots and vandalisation of army installations.

ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah also found PTI leaders Kanwal Shuzaib, Rashid Shafiq, Zulfi Bukhari, Muhammad Ahmed Chatha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra, and Ijaz Khan guilty of being the central conspirators in the May 9 incidents.

All the accused were declared proclaimed offenders during the previous hearings.

The ATC ruled that the convicted individuals were involved in attacks on key military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) Gate, Hamza Camp, and the Army Museum Rawalpindi.

The judge imposed a fine of Rs. 500,000 each, with the court also ordering the confiscation of their property. He held the accused responsible for organizing violent protests, arson, vandalism, attacks on police, and damage to government property.

The case originally involved 118 accused, including PTI founder Imran Khan and senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who were formally charged in December 2024. During the trial, statements from 44 prosecution witnesses have been recorded.

Eighteen of the 118 accused remained consistently absent during the trial, while 29 never appeared in court after the case was registered. Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, a separate trial was conducted for the 47 declared absconders.

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 PTI leaders and activists targeted civil and military installations.

In a separate development, the Supreme Court has questioned the delay in submitting a reply by PTI founder Imran in a damages suit filed by Shahbaz Sharif, when the latter was the chief minister of Punjab, against him.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Ayesha Malik heard the review petitions filed by Imran in the Rs10 billion damages case concerning the termination of his right of defence.