DistantNews
Support us
Pakistan Court Jails 4 PTI Leaders for Decade Over 2023 Riots; Ex-FM Acquitted
🇮🇳 India /Crime & Justice

Pakistan Court Jails 4 PTI Leaders for Decade Over 2023 Riots; Ex-FM Acquitted

From Times of India · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified In the courts
  • A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced four leaders of Imran Khan's PTI party to 10 years in prison for their role in the May 9, 2023 riots.
  • Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and 11 others were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
  • The PTI party condemned the verdict, calling the case fabricated and alleging a lack of due process and fairness.

An anti-terrorism court in Lahore has sentenced four senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, to 10 years in prison. The convictions are related to their involvement in the violent riots that erupted on May 9, 2023, following Khan's arrest.

The court acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and 11 other PTI members, citing insufficient evidence. Those convicted include former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, former Punjab health minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid, former Punjab minister Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry. They were found guilty of attacking and setting fire to police vehicles during the nationwide unrest.

Such glaring inconsistencies cast serious doubt on the credibility of the broader legal process surrounding these cases.

— PTIStatement from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party regarding the court verdict.

The PTI has vehemently rejected the court's ruling, labeling the case as fabricated and questioning the integrity of the judicial process. The party issued a statement expressing "profound concerns about due process, judicial fairness and the integrity of the proceedings." PTI highlighted alleged inconsistencies, noting that some individuals implicated were reportedly not even in Pakistan at the time of the alleged incidents.

PTI claims that the accused were denied a "free and fair trial," citing political pressure, restricted access, prolonged detentions, and violations of fundamental legal rights. The party asserts that the outcome represents a "systematic campaign to punish political opponents through the courts" and has vowed to challenge the verdict through all available legal and constitutional avenues. The May 9th riots saw demonstrators target military installations and state buildings across Pakistan, particularly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The outcome appears less an exercise of justice and more a continuation of a systematic campaign to punish political opponents through the courts.

— PTIStatement from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party criticizing the court's decision.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Times of India in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog