An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad on Friday sentenced PTI members, including MNA Abdul Latif, to 27 years of imprisonment for attacking a police station during the violent May 9 riots.
ATC Special Court-II handed down the punishment under different sections of the PPC after finding the accused guilty of attacking the Ramna police station during the May 9 riots. The accused were sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison along with a fine worth Rs327,000. The sentences shall run concurrently, the judge said.
The judge told the accused that 20 witnesses, including magistrates recorded their testimonies against them.
“You are accused of attacking the Ramna Police Station in Islamabad. If you attack your own police stations, the country will no longer be livable,” the judge remarked. A case had been registered against the accused in Ramna police station under various sections for offences including burning a motorcycle and attacking police personnel.
The eleven accused who were convicted were Zariyab Khan, Muhammad Akram, Meera Khan, Abdul Latif, Sameol Robert, Wazeerzada, Abdul Basit, Shan Ali, Shahzaib, Muhammad Yousaf, and Sohail Khan.
Following the verdict, the police took the four accused present in the court, namely Mira Khan, Muhammad Akram, Shahzeb, and Sohail Khan, into custody. The court also issued arrest warrants for other PTI supporters accused of involvement in the riots but was absent from the court.
The sentences ranged from ten years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs200,000 for terrorism provisions under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, five years in prison and a fine of Rs50,000 for the murderous attack on policemen under Section Section 324 (attempted murder) of the PPC.
Additionally, the accused were sentenced to four years in prison and fined Rs40,000 for burning a motorcycle under Section 426; and a separate sentence of four years in prison and a fine of Rs40,000 under Section 440 for vandalising a police station. A sentence of three-month imprisonment was imposed for interfering in the work of the police under Section 186, one month for violating Section 144, and two years for committing a crime in a group under Section 149.