- Two-member bench led by Justice Rizvi, Justice Bajwa to hear petitions, challenging 40-year cumulative sentence in four riot cases
- Khadija Shah also appeals five-year sentence in Jinnah House attack case, urging court to declare ATC judgment null and void
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday fixed for September 25 the hearing of appeals filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry against his multiple convictions in cases linked to the May 9 riots.
According to the LHC registrar’s office, a two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mehmood Bajwa will take up the petitions on Wednesday.
Chaudhry, a former PTI senator, has challenged the sentences handed down by an anti-terrorism court (ATC), which convicted him in four separate cases stemming from the violent protests that erupted nationwide following PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest from the Islamabad High Court on May 9, 2023.
The ATC had sentenced him to 10 years in each case, amounting to a cumulative 40-year jail term. In his appeal, Chaudhry termed the punishments “excessive” and argued that the convictions were based on “insufficient evidence.” His case is being closely watched as its outcome may have wider implications for dozens of other PTI leaders and workers facing similar proceedings.
In a related development, PTI leader Khadija Shah also moved the LHC against the five-year jail term awarded to her by an ATC in the Jinnah House attack case.
Challenging the verdict announced on September 9, 2025, Shah maintained in her petition that she had no connection to the attack and described the charges as “baseless and politically motivated.”
She pointed out that her trial, along with other accused, was conducted inside Kot Lakhpat Jail, where 51 individuals had been nominated in the case. Of them, 12 were declared proclaimed offenders, while 18 were convicted. Shah was sentenced to five years in prison and fined Rs100,000. She urged the court to set aside the conviction and declare the ATC judgment null and void.
