ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan’s eastern city of Faisalabad on Monday sentenced senior aides of former prime minister Imran Khan to up to 10 years in prison for their role in riots that took place on May 9, 2023, according to a written court order.
The case relates to an attack on the Faisalabad residence of then–Minister for Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah during riots on May 9, which erupted after Khan was briefly arrested in a corruption case. Authorities say supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party attacked state buildings and military facilities and vehicles. Khan and the PTI deny inciting supporters to violence.
“The prosecution has succeeded in proving the charges against the accused persons beyond any shadow of doubt,” the court order said.
It added: “Accordingly, the accused persons are convicted and each is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for ten years under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.”
The order said 75 out of 109 accused were convicted, while 34 were acquitted. Among those sentenced to 10 years were senior Khan aides Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz and Zartaj Gul Wazir, as well as Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Rai Murtaza Iqbal, Kanwal Shauzab, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Ahmad Chattha, Ansar Iqbal, Bilal Ijaz, Ashraf Sohna, Mehr Javed and Shakeel Niazi.
Those acquitted included former information minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and Zain Qureshi, son of senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
“Under the guise of May 9, innumerable injustices have been inflicted upon ordinary citizens, families and leadership of PTI, harassed, lives shattered, and individuals subjected to unspeakable torment,” the PTI said in a message to reporters after Monday’s verdict was announced.
The government denies political persecution.
Earlier this month, courts in Lahore and Sargodha handed down similar sentences of up to 10 years to other PTI leaders and workers linked to the May 9 riots, including Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mahmood-ur-Rashid, Umar Sarfaraz Cheema, Alia Hamza and Sanam Javed.
Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, welcomed that ruling, accusing PTI supporters of setting fire to government buildings, damaging military property and injuring law enforcement personnel during the unrest.
Khan, ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, has dismissed all cases against him and other party leaders and members as politically motivated. The government denies this and says PTI uses violent protests to derail economic progress and destabilize the country.
Pakistan’s top court last week granted bail to Khan in eight May riot cases. He has been jailed since August 2023, when he was convicted of illegally selling state gifts, a ruling that also barred him from contesting the 2024 general elections. He is currently serving a 14-year jail sentence in a land graft case he says is politically motivated to keep him away from public office.
