SARGODHA: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Sargodha on Friday sentenced Muhammad Ismail to 25 years in prison for his involvement in the violent May 9 attack on the Mianwali Judicial Complex.
The court found him guilty of vandalism and arson during the attack, and Judge Muhammad Naeem Sheikh announced the verdict in case number 349/23.
In addition to the conviction, the court directed the District Police Officer (DPO) of Mianwali to arrest 51 absconding suspects, including Ahmed Khan Bhachar, Ahmed Chattha, and Bilal Ijaz, within one month. These individuals remain at large, and the court stressed the urgency of their arrest.
Earlier, non-bailable arrest warrants were issued for senior PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan, who also remains absent. The court ordered continued legal action against him.
This follows a decision by the Faisalabad ATC, where dozens of PTI leaders and workers, including Omar Ayub, Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz, MNA Zartaj Gul, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza, were sentenced in relation to the May 9 protests.
However, the Faisalabad ATC acquitted 88 individuals, including Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi, and Khayal Kastro, while sentencing others involved in the violent events.