LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday sentenced PTI leaders Yasmin Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years in prison each over the May 9 riots case, while acquitting Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul conducted the hearing at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, related to the case of burning the car of a Supreme Court judge at Rahat Bakery Chowk on May 9, 2023.
Similarly, PTI leaders Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed and Umar Sarfraz Cheema were also awarded 10 years’ imprisonment each.
The court also awarded a five-year sentence to PTI leader Khadija Shah in the same case. However, Rubina Jameel and Afshan Tariq were acquitted.
The development adds to the mounting legal woes faced by the Imran Khan-founded PTI, which has seen scores of leaders getting prison sentences over the May 9 riots while several others, including the former prime minister, remain behind bars in a plethora of cases.
Last month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-notified a number of PTI lawmakers, including the opposition leaders in the Senate and National Assembly — Senator Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub Khan — following their convictions in the May 9 cases.
The disqualification came days after a special anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad sentenced several PTI leaders including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul and others to 10 years in prison each in connection with a case registered in the aftermath of the May 9, 2023, violence at the Civil Lines Police Station.
Thousands of supporters of Imran Khan stormed public property and military installations, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore, on May 9, 2023, in protest against the former premier’s arrest.
The riots erupted after the PTI founder was taken into custody from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a graft case.
During the unrest, the supporters of Khan — the only prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be ousted via a no-confidence vote — targeted civil and military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
Several PTI leaders and workers were released on bail after their arrests, while many remain behind bars.
