An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad on Thursday sentenced PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Hamid Raza, and Zartaj Gul, to 10 years of imprisonment for their involvement in the May 9 riots.
On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting the party founder Imran Khan’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations and state-owned buildings, while also attacking the Lahore corps commander’s residence. Following the riots, thousands of protesters, including party leaders, were arrested.
Out of 185 PTI workers accused, 108 have been sentenced by the court today. PTI’s Member of the Professional Assembly (MPA), Junaid Afzal Sahi, was sentenced to three years in prison. Meanwhile, MPA Khayal Ahmad Kastro, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Zain Qureshi, and former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry have been acquitted in the cases.
On May, an ATC in Islamabad sentenced PTI members, including MNA Abdul Latif, to 27 years of imprisonment for attacking a police station during the May 9 riots.
In December 2024, military courts had sentenced 85 civilians to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for their involvement in violent attacks on military installations during the riots on May 9.
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