LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore sentenced several prominent members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to ten years in prison each for their involvement in the May 9 riots. The accused, including former Punjab governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Ijaz Chaudhry, Dr Yasmeen Rashid, and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, faced charges related to the torching of a vehicle belonging to a former judge’s squad.
Despite the convictions, former federal minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and several other PTI workers were acquitted of the charges. Notably, fashion designer Khadija Shah was sentenced to five years in prison.
According to the police challan, 51 individuals were nominated in the case. Twelve of them were declared proclaimed offenders, while 39, including five women, faced trial. Among the women, three were acquitted, but Sanam Javed was declared a proclaimed offender.
In total, 21 of the accused were acquitted, and the remaining individuals were sentenced to imprisonment.
Earlier, on August 18, Judge Manzar Ali Gill had convicted the same PTI lawmakers in the “Rahat Bakery case,” attributing the May 9 violence to a conspiracy tied to the arrest of PTI chairman Imran Khan. The judge had emphasized that while protests are lawful, they cross a line when violence is involved, noting that peaceful protests, which are a universal right, should never involve attacks on state buildings or military installations.
The judge further remarked on the role of social media in exposing the events, stating that videos, photos, and other materials documenting the incidents continue to circulate widely across platforms like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and X, making it impossible to conceal the truth.
