LAHORE – Major development in cases related to May 9 violence as Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) sentenced four top Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to 10 years in prison each over incidents of arson during last year’s nationwide unrest.
The court announced verdict inside Kot Lakhpat Jail, convicting Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed in the high-profile Kalma Chowk container-burning case. The ruling also brought an end to proceedings in the Gulberg police vehicle arson case.
ATC convicted 20 accused, while acquitting five Sajawal Nadeem, Zaman Qadri, Shehroz, Muhammad Kabir and Aliya Hassan. The scale of the cases remained massive, with 37 accused named in the Kalma Chowk incident and 33 in the Gulberg arson case.
Challans were submitted against 36 suspects from Nasirabad police station, while 12 others — including former Punjab minister Mian Aslam Iqbal were declared absconders.
The violence on May 9 erupted after arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan at Islamabad High Court, triggering chaos across Punjab capital. Police vehicles were set ablaze in Gulberg, a container was torched at Kalma Chowk, and images of destruction sparked nationwide outrage and condemnation.
Dr Yasmin Rashid’s lawyer, Rana Mudassir Umar, told reporters that hearings were meant for routine proceedings but the accused were denied a full opportunity to present their defence. He claimed the sentences were announced late at night and revealed that PTI leaders have now accumulated more than 200 years of combined prison sentences across various May 9 cases.
PTI announced to challenge what it called an unjust verdict in higher courts, setting the stage for another legal battle in the already explosive fallout from the May 9 unrest.
