Lahore: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Lahore, while delivering its verdict in another important case related to the violent incidents of May 9, 2023, acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while several accused including senior party leaders Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed and former Senator Ijaz Chaudhry were sentenced to 10 years in prison each.
ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul delivered the reserved verdict in the case registered at Mughalpura Police Station. The court had reserved the verdict on Thursday after completing the hearing of the case, which was delivered on Saturday.
According to the prosecution, the accused were accused of setting fire to police vehicles and damaging government property in the Mughalpura area during the May 9 protests. The prosecution took the stand that the PTI leadership incited the workers to protest and riot, which resulted in incidents of violence and vandalism.
During the trial, the prosecution presented the statements of 37 witnesses in the court and requested the court to punish the accused according to the law. On the other hand, the defense lawyers rejected the allegations and took the stand that their clients were implicated in the cases on political grounds.
The accused were presented before a special court established in Kot Lakhpat Jail for the verdict. Apart from Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the court also acquitted 11 other activists on the basis of insufficient evidence.
According to court records, a total of 22 accused were named in the case, while two people were declared absconders because they were evading arrest.
The case relates to the incidents of May 9, 2023, which took place during the protests that erupted across the country after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Various government and military installations were damaged in these protests, after which cases were registered against thousands of activists and leaders across the country.
According to legal experts, this decision has completed another important phase of the judicial proceedings in the May 9 cases. However, the convicted leaders have the legal right to appeal in higher courts.
It should be remembered that earlier, judgments have been pronounced in several cases related to May 9, in which Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, Mian Mahmood Rashid and Ijaz Chaudhry have been given various sentences.
