The Islamabad High Court has suspended the sentences of 10 individuals convicted in connection with protests that erupted on May 10, 2023, following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
A division bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan ruled in favour of suspending the sentences, granting bail to the convicts upon submission of surety bonds worth Rs25,000 each.
In November 2024, an anti-terrorism court had sentenced the convicts to a combined five years and ten months in prison for their alleged role in attacking police personnel and setting a checkpoint on fire at Islamabad’s Faizabad Interchange.
The high court, in its written order, noted that case records did not establish that any of the convicts were arrested from the protest site.
Defense lawyers argued that the trial court had already acquitted the accused of terrorism charges and had instead convicted them on lesser offenses.
“The accused were not caught from the crime scene, yet they were convicted,” the court observed.
The prosecution, however, argued that the trial court had sentenced the convicts based on forensic and CCTV footage evidence. The prosecution also opposed the suspensions, maintaining that the guilty verdict was supported by available proof.
The charge sheet revealed that five of the 10 convicted individuals were Afghan nationals. The court ordered the accused to submit original identity documents to the deputy registrar for verification.
“In case of Afghan citizenship, the deputy registrar shall retain the documents,” the court ruled. The convicts have been directed to appear before the court for all future hearings as the appeals process continues.