Qureshi acquitted, four senior PTI leaders sentenced to 10 years in May 9 riot case

LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday acquitted former foreign minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a May 9 riots case, while sentencing senior PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years’ imprisonment each.

ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the verdict in a case registered at Mughalpura Police Station, where the accused were charged with attacking and setting fire to police vehicles during the violent protests that erupted in Lahore on May 9, 2023.

The judgment had been reserved on Thursday and was announced during proceedings held at the makeshift court established inside Kot Lakhpat Jail, where the accused were produced.

Besides Qureshi, the court acquitted 11 PTI workers after finding insufficient evidence to establish their involvement in the offences alleged by the prosecution.

The case involved a total of 22 PTI leaders and workers, while two accused had earlier been declared proclaimed offenders after allegedly absconding and avoiding arrest.

Several other workers named in the case were also convicted and handed 10-year prison sentences.

According to the prosecution, the accused had allegedly planned and orchestrated the May 9 disturbances and incited party workers to engage in acts of violence and rioting.

The prosecution presented testimony from 37 witnesses and argued that the evidence established the involvement of the accused in attacks on law-enforcement personnel and public property.

After examining the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides, the court delivered its verdict, acquitting some accused while convicting others.

The nationwide unrest erupted on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The arrest triggered widespread protests across Pakistan, during which demonstrators allegedly attacked military installations, government buildings and public property. In Lahore, violent incidents included attacks on police infrastructure and the residence of the Lahore Corps Commander, commonly known as Jinnah House.

Thousands of PTI supporters and leaders were subsequently detained as authorities launched a nationwide crackdown and initiated multiple criminal cases.

The latest verdict is among a series of judgments delivered in cases arising from the May 9 violence.

Earlier verdicts have been announced in cases relating to attacks on the Shadman Police Station, Sherpao Bridge, police vehicles near Rahat Bakery, and the burning of a Supreme Court judge’s escort vehicle near Jinnah House.

In December 2025, the same court acquitted Qureshi in another May 9-related case concerning an attack on the entrance gate of Government Officers Residence-I at Club Chowk, while sentencing Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years’ imprisonment.

With Saturday’s ruling, the four senior PTI leaders have now received convictions in multiple cases linked to the May 9 disturbances, while legal proceedings in several other related cases continue before courts across the country.