Pakistan Court Sentences PTI Leaders To 10 Years In Prison Over May 9 Riots

International

oi-Ruchika Pareek

An
anti-terrorism
court
(ATC)
in
Pakistan
on
Saturday
sentenced
four
Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI)
leaders,
including
Yasmin
Rashid
and
Mian
Mehmoodur
Rashid,
to
10
years’
imprisonment
for
their
involvement
in
cases
linked
to
the
May
9,
2023
riots.
The
convictions
relate
to
incidents
of
arson
involving
vehicles
and
a
container
during
the
unrest,
according
to
a
report
by
Geo
News.

The
verdict
was
pronounced
by
ATC
Judge
Arshad
Javed
inside
Kot
Lakhpat
Jail.
Along
with
Yasmin
Rashid
and
Mian
Mehmoodur
Rashid,
the
court
also
handed
10-year
sentences
to
PTI
leaders
Omer
Sarfraz
Cheema,
Ejaz
Chaudhry
and
several
others
in
the
same
set
of
cases.

The
cases
were
registered
by
Gulberg
and
Naseerabad
police.
The
Gulberg
case
pertained
to
the
burning
of
vehicles,
while
the
Naseerabad
case
involved
the
setting
ablaze
of
a
container
at
Kalma
Chowk
during
the
May
9
violence.
As
per
Geo
News,
the
Gulberg
police
chargesheet
named
33
individuals,
whereas
the
Naseerabad
police
filed
a
separate
chargesheet
listing
36
suspects
in
connection
with
the
Kalma
Chowk
container
arson.

In
the
Gulberg
case,
the
ATC
sentenced
seven
accused,
including
Yasmin
Rashid,
to
10
years
in
prison
each.
Twenty-two
suspects
were
acquitted,
while
four
others
were
declared
absconding.
In
the
Kalma
Chowk
case,
the
court
awarded
10-year
sentences
to
24
individuals,
acquitted
five
accused,
and
declared
seven
suspects
absconding.
PTI
leader
Mian
Aslam
Iqbal
was
declared
an
absconder
in
both
cases.

These
latest
sentences
follow
earlier
convictions
of
Yasmin
Rashid,
Omer
Sarfraz
Cheema,
Mian
Mehmoodur
Rashid
and
Ejaz
Chaudhry
in
other
cases
related
to
the
May
9
riots.
Notably,
just
a
day
earlier,
another
ATC
had
sentenced
the
same
leaders,
along
with
three
others,
to
10
years
in
prison
in
a
separate
May
9-related
case.
In
that
verdict,
however,
senior
PTI
leader
and
former
foreign
minister
Shah
Mahmood
Qureshi,
along
with
13
others,
was
acquitted,
Geo
News
reported.

The
May
9,
2023
violence
erupted
after
PTI
founder
and
former
prime
minister
Imran
Khan
was
arrested
from
the
premises
of
the
Islamabad
High
Court
in
a
graft
case.
Following
his
arrest,
thousands
of
PTI
supporters
allegedly
vandalised
public
property
and
attacked
civil
and
military
installations
across
the
country.

Among
the
sites
targeted
during
the
unrest
were
the
Corps
Commander
House
in
Lahore
and
the
General
Headquarters
(GHQ)
in
Rawalpindi.
Imran
Khan,
who
was
removed
from
office
through
a
no-confidence
vote,
is
the
only
prime
minister
in
Pakistan’s
history
to
have
been
ousted
in
this
manner.