Islamabad – On Monday, the Counter-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad sentenced PTI chief leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Zartaj Gul, along with 56 other priests to 10 years in prison and attacked former minister Rana Sanaullah on 9 May 20223 on the house of former minister Rana Sanaullah on 9 May 20223.
On May 9, 2023, military facilities and state-owned buildings were destroyed as PTI supporters protested the arrest of former official Imran Khan, who was later released but have been imprisoned in various cases since August 2023. After the riot, thousands of protesters, including the party’s top leaders, were arrested.
Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh presided over the hearing of the case registered with the Samabad police today on May 9, 2023.
Malik Khalid Shafiq, head of PTI’s legal team, confirmed his beliefs dawn.com. He said 59 of the 109 defendants were sentenced to 10 years in strict prison and 16 were sentenced to three years in prison.
Ayub, Faraz and Gul and Muhammad Ahmad Chattha were disqualified from parliament after being convicted in other May 9 cases.
Other PTI leaders include Sheikh Rashid Shafique (nephew of former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed), Ashraf Khan Sohna, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Murtaza Iqbal, former MNA Kanwal Shauzab and former Punjab Jab Mpa Farah Agha. They were also convicted in other May 9 cases on July 31.
Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Mna Zain Qureshi (son of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi) who withdrew from PTI after the incident on May 9 were the ones who released the charges today.
Fawad and Zain were also acquitted in three other Faisalabad cases that rioted on May 9.
Under Article 63(1)(g) of the Constitution, PTI members will face automatic disqualification, which prohibits members from being convicted of crimes involving moral offences or acts of corruption.
Goul reacted to the court’s judgment, and she said on X that she was innocent.
She argued that the verdict was based on the argument that she reportedly developed a protest plan at a meeting at her residence in Imranzaman Park in Lahore on 7 May 2023.
However, according to Gul, she attended her Dera Ghazi Khan constituency that day for “Fateha, oviration, oviration, wedding and other events”. She also shared screenshots of social media posts showing her activities that day, adding that she had presented the evidence in court.
Ayub said he was never outside his home in Sanara and that prosecutors did not name him.
“In addition, last year, these testimony of these indictment witnesses were rejected by ATC Sargodha. These indictment witnesses were called liars by Judge ATC Sargodha. This brought me a total sentence of jail to 40 years.”
The deadline given to the ATC determines the case on May 9, which has been passed earlier this month. Therefore, according to PTI lawyer Shafiq, the case is undergoing a daily hearing.
Last week, the Kasul Crime Control Department (CCD) filed former Faisalabad Civil Lines Station official Zeeshan Khalid Randhawa as witness during the trial. The former Sho has been arrested by another kidnapping and murder case by Kasul residents.
ATC convened a joint investigation team to investigate the case in July 2024 to submit a fee schedule.
Opposition verdict piles up
Today’s conviction is the latest in a series of ATC sentences, in which more than 100 PTI leaders and workers have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
On July 22, the Lahore ATC submitted 10 years of strict imprisonment for Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and other PTI leaders, in connection with the case of Sherpao Bridge. However, the imprisoned Shah Mahmood Qureshi and five others were acquitted.
On the same day, a Sargodha ATC was sentenced to 32 defendants in the case registered by Musakhel police station, including then-Punjab parliament opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar.
On July 31, a Faisalabad ATC sentenced more than 100 PTI leaders and workers to 10 years in jail in three cases. Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul and Hamid Raza, the chief opposition leader of the Sunni Ittehad parliament, were the main opposition leaders, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In one case, 60 of the 67 defendants were convicted and 7 were convicted. In another case, 107 of the defendants were sentenced to 10 years of strict imprisonment, while one defendant was sentenced to three years in prison and 77 were acquitted.
On August 1, Sargodha ATC sentenced PTI worker Muhammad Ismail to strict life imprisonment in a May 9 case related to the attack on the Mianwali judicial complex and announced 50 others were declared as pronounced criminals.
