LAHORE — An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Monday acquitted PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in two more May 9 riot-related cases, while sentencing Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, and Mian Mehmoodur Rashid to 10 years in prison.
The verdicts, announced by ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill at Kot Lakhpat Jail, concerned the Shadman police station attack and the torching of police vehicles near Jinnah House. PTI leaders Aliya Hamza and Sanam Javed were also given five-year sentences in the Shadman case.
Thousands were arrested nationwide after violent protests erupted on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan. In the Shadman case, 25 of 41 accused were indicted, with 15 declared proclaimed offenders. In the vehicle arson case, 17 were indicted and seven declared proclaimed offenders.
Speaking to Dawn.com, Hamza said she was convicted “because of loyalty” and vowed to appeal to the Lahore High Court. “I have already served 16 months in prison; I am not afraid,” she said.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the sentences, calling them “a blade of injustice” that threatened democracy. He said the party rejected the judgments but also reiterated that PTI condemned the May 9 riots and did not condone violence.
Gohar claimed the courts ignored PTI’s petitions for hearings, fuelling political instability. He warned that silencing party voices would deepen divisions in the country.
Last month, the same ATC acquitted Qureshi in another May 9 case but sentenced several other PTI leaders over violence on Sherpao Bridge. Multiple appeals are pending in the Lahore High Court.
