Ex-GB CM Khurshid sentenced to 34 years for threatening agencies

GILGIT: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Khalid Khurshid on Tuesday was sentenced to 34 years by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) for making threatening remarks against security agencies and officials.

The ATC also slapped a fine of Rs600,000 on the former CM while while directing the inspector general of police to arrest and transfer the culprit to the jail.

Furthermore, the court also directed the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) director general to block the politician's national identity card (NIC).

Khurshid was booked for threatening security agencies, GB's chief secretary, and chief election commissioner with serious consequences during a PTI power show on May 26, 2024.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged against the PTI leader at GB's City Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

However, the former chief executive remained an absconder and was absent from case proceedings.

Elected to the office in 2020, Khurshid was disqualified by GB's Chief Court in July 2023 for holding a fake degree under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The ex-CM had attached a fake degree from the University of London in his nomination papers, after which the Higher Education Commissioner (HEC) officially requested the varsity to verify his degree, which was declared as "fake" in an official response by the institution.

The politician had joined the PTI in 2018 and was elevated to the position of Diamer-Astore's divisional president.

Recently, Khurshid, as per The News, was booked in multiple cases with regard to the party's protest at Islamabad's D-Chowk in October.