By Our Correspondent
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday issued its verdict in a May 9 riots-related case, acquitting former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi while handing 10-year prison sentences to senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders including Dr Yasmin Rashid and Omar Sarfraz Cheema.
ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the reserved verdict, delivered inside a makeshift courtroom at Kot Lakhpat Jail. The case, registered at Mughalpura Police Station, involved allegations of attacking and burning police vehicles during the 2023 unrest.
The court acquitted Qureshi along with 11 party workers, while several other accused were sentenced to 10 years in prison each. A total of 22 PTI leaders and workers were nominated in the case, and two individuals were declared proclaimed offenders.
Among the convicted were also senior figures including Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry, according to the prosecution record.
Prosecutors alleged that PTI leadership planned and incited violence during the May 9 incidents, presenting testimony from 37 witnesses before the court.
The riots erupted following the arrest of Imran Khan by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case, triggering nationwide protests that included attacks on state and military installations.
Several related cases of May 9 violence have already been decided, with courts issuing a mix of acquittals and convictions across multiple incidents involving arson, vandalism, and attacks on government properties.
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