The Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad, while delivering its verdict in the May 9 cases, sentenced 108 leaders and workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate, to 10 years in prison.
According to Sources, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad, while delivering its verdict in the May 9 cases, sentenced Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shibli Faraz, Member of the National Assembly Zartaj Gul, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Sheikh Rashid’s nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq to 10 years in prison each.
The Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced Member of Punjab Assembly Junaid Afzal Sahi to 3 years in prison, while a total of 108 accused have been convicted, former federal ministers Fawad Chaudhry, Zain Qureshi and Khayal Castro were acquitted of the cases.
It may be recalled that the Anti-Terrorism Court Sargodha last week on July 22 had sentenced 32 leaders and workers of the Tehreek-e-Insaf, including Opposition Leader of the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmed Bachhar, to 10 years in prison each in the case of a protest in Mianwali on May 9, 2023, after which the Election Commission had disqualified Ahmed Bachhar. Today, the position of opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly has been declared vacant.
It should be noted that earlier on December 21, 2024, a military court had sentenced 25 criminals involved in the May 9 tragedy case to 10 years in prison.Later, on December 26, 2024, the military court sentenced 60 more criminals, including Imran Khan’s nephew Hassan Niazi, involved in the May 9, 2023 tragedy, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army’s Courts of Appeal had announced the pardon of 19 criminals in the May 9, 2023 tragedy on January 2 this year.
