Jailed PTI leaders urge CJP for early hearing of appeals pending before LHC

LAHORE: Several incarcerated leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have written to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, requesting the expedited hearing of their appeals against convictions related to the May 9 riots case, it was revealed on Monday.

According to the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn, PTI leaders Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry, and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed stated that they have been imprisoned for the past 34 months. The letter highlights their sentencing on July 22, 2025, when a Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) handed down 10-year prison terms to Rashid, Cheema, Chaudhry, Rasheed, and others in connection with violence that occurred on Sherpao Bridge.

The PTI leaders emphasized in their letter that, despite being “law-abiding citizens of Pakistan,” their constitutional rights had been “trampled” and that they continued to endure “political victimisation.” They recalled that they had filed appeals against their convictions before the Lahore High Court (LHC) shortly after their sentencing.

“We have been languishing in jail for the last 34 months,” the letter stated. The leaders further noted that, for the past eight months, their appeals and requests for suspension of sentence have remained pending before the LHC without being heard.

The letter calls on the Chief Justice of Pakistan to intervene and ensure an early hearing of their pending appeals, citing prolonged incarceration and the delay in the judicial process.