LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Dr Yasmin Rashid on Friday approached the Lahore High Court, challenging her conviction and sentences in three separate cases linked to the May 9 violence.
Through her counsel Rana Muddassar Umar, Rashid argued that the trial court delivered verdicts in haste without properly examining the facts or evidence on record. She maintained that the proceedings violated established principles of justice and due process.
In her appeals, the former health minister requested the high court to declare the convictions void and sought suspension of her sentences until the final disposal of the cases.
Dr Yasmin Rashid was convicted in cases registered at Gulberg, Racecourse and Nasirabad police stations in connection with protests that erupted on May 9 last year.
Earlier, on December 19, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore sentenced Rashid and senior PTI leaders Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years in prison in a case related to the riots. The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul inside Kot Lakhpat Jail.
In the same case, former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and 13 other accused were acquitted.
During the trial, final statements of 21 accused were recorded, while the prosecution examined 56 witnesses. Four suspects were declared proclaimed offenders during the proceedings.
The conviction marked the fifth verdict against Dr Yasmin Rashid and the other PTI leaders in May 9-related cases. Shah Mehmood Qureshi, however, was cleared in this particular matter.
In November, the Election Commission of Pakistan de-notified several PTI lawmakers, including opposition leaders in both houses of parliament, following their convictions in similar cases.
The May 9 unrest broke out after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court premises in a corruption case, triggering nationwide protests that targeted public buildings and military installations, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore and the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Legal proceedings in connection with the violence remain ongoing, with several PTI leaders and workers still in custody.
