A Faisalabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday handed 10-year prison terms to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza in cases related to the May 9 riots. PTI activist Junaid Akbar Sahi received a three-year jail sentence. The court delivered judgments across three connected cases involving violent unrest from May 9, 2023.
In total, the ATC sentenced 108 individuals, including party workers and regional leaders, on terrorism-related charges. However, noted PTI figures such as Fawad Chaudhry, Khayal Ahmad Kastro, and Zain Qureshi—the son of Shah Mahmood Qureshi—were acquitted due to lack of evidence or individual assessments.
This ruling comes shortly after a separate ATC in Lahore acquitted senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others in related charges. Yet, it pronounced 10-year sentences for Dr. Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed in another parallel case, underlining inconsistencies across verdicts.
The May 9 protests broke out nationwide following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, resulting in violence and damage in Punjab, KP, Balochistan, and Islamabad. Several reports cited arson, attacks on military installations, and widespread unrest. Consequently, Pakistan’s armed forces were deployed to restore order in affected areas.
Following the verdicts, PTI leadership condemned the sentences and called them politically motivated. Legal experts believe more cases will culminate in staggered verdicts across provinces. Meanwhile, the convictions of senior leaders signal a turning point in Pakistan’s post-May 9 political and legal environment.