ISLAMABAD: A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad sentenced top Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to up to 10 years in prison on Thursday, in cases related to the May 9 protests.
The court convicted 108 PTI leaders out of 185 individuals implicated in these cases, while 77 others were acquitted.
Among the PTI leaders convicted were opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub; opposition leader in the Senate, Shibli Faraz; Zartaj Gul; MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza; and former MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, the nephew of former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. These leaders were sentenced to 10 years each in prison. Other convicts were given prison terms of up to three years.
Meanwhile, PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi, Khayal Kastro, Faizullah Kamoka, Rana Asad Mehmood Khan, Bilal Ashraf Basra, Haroon Rasheed, Amara Rasheed, Sahibzada Hassan Raza, and Kamran Warraich were acquitted.
Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, who is facing charges in this case, did not attend the hearing and is reportedly in hiding to avoid arrest.
Earlier on Thursday, the ATC issued arrest warrants for 50 PTI leaders in connection with various protest-related cases. The arrest warrants were issued for those involved in the protests leading to PTI’s planned August 5 protest. The warrants include prominent names such as former President Arif Alvi, Abdul Qayyum Niazi, Shibli Faraz, Faisal Javed, Salman Akram Raja, Rauf Hassan, Murad Saeed, and Ahmad Niazi.
Other PTI leaders facing arrest include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Asad Qaiser, Hammad Azhar, Atif Khan, Shoaib Shaheen, Azam Khan Swati, Omar Ayub, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza. Additional PTI members named in the warrants include Aleema Khanum, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Kanwal Shauzab, Shandana Gulzar, and Sher Afzal Marwat.
In connection with the Faizabad protest case, which pertains to the demonstrations held over former prime minister Imran Khan’s disqualification, the court maintained that the status of Ali Amin Gandapur as a proclaimed offender remains unchanged. The court ordered Islamabad Police to arrest Gandapur, stating that the arrest warrants remain in effect.
The court also directed that if there are any orders from the Peshawar High Court, they must be complied with. In the March 18 protest case, the ATC issued an arrest warrant for PTI MNA Ali Afzal Sahi.
The court also issued arrest warrants for other PTI workers who failed to attend the hearing in the case registered at Golra Police Station. The hearing for the case registered at Golra Police Station has been adjourned until August 9.
In the November 26 protest case, the court dismissed the bail of an accused who had repeatedly been absent from hearings. The court issued arrest warrants for those not present during the hearing. The forensic report related to this case has been submitted, and the next hearing is set for August 5.
The hearing for the case registered at Kohsar Police Station has been adjourned until August 4. Arrest warrants were also issued for those who failed to appear.
Non-bailable arrest warrants have been issued for 15 PTI leaders in connection with ten cases registered in Rawalpindi related to the November 26 protest. Prosecutor Syed Zaheer Shah, addressing a press conference, stated that bail cancellation requests have been filed for 68 accused individuals, and separate applications have been made against their guarantors.
Shah further criticized the accused for using delaying tactics, including submitting outdated medical reports to request adjournments. Investigations in all 31 cases related to the November 26 protest have been completed, and non-bailable warrants have been issued for the accused.
In a separate case related to the killing of a police officer in Taxila, PTI leaders Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are among the nominated accused. Additionally, arrest warrants have been issued in the Wah Cantt and Naseerabad cases for Arif Alvi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Hammad Azhar, and 20 others.
