LAHORE (News Desk) An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Friday acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a May 9 violence case, while sentencing four prominent party leaders to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment each.
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The convicted leaders include Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, and Ejaz Chaudhry. The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill inside Kot Lakhpat Jail, where the trial was conducted under strict security arrangements.
The case, registered as FIR No. 852/2023 at Racecourse police station, related to an attack on the entrance gate of Government Officers’ Residence-I at Club Chowk during the violent protests that erupted following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023.
According to the prosecution, PTI supporters vandalised and torched military installations, police vehicles, and government properties across Punjab on that day. A challan was submitted against 25 accused, including senior PTI leaders and workers.
This is the fifth conviction against Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, and Ejaz Chaudhry in May 9-related cases. They have already been serving sentences awarded by various courts in Punjab for attacks on Shadman police station, Sherpao Bridge, police vehicles near Rahat Bakery, and the torching of a Supreme Court judge’s squad vehicle near Jinnah House.
In contrast, Shah Mehmood Qureshi has now been acquitted in five separate May 9 cases, marking a significant legal relief for the PTI stalwart amid ongoing crackdowns on the party’s leadership.
