Shah Mehmood Qureshi remained in May 9 case, Yasmin Rashid and other PTI leaders were jailed for 10 years.
LAHORE – Pakistan’s former foreign minister and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi was acquitted by the Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court while Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Umar Sarfaraz Cheema, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rashid, and Ejaz Chaudhry were sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The verdict related to the Mughalpura violence case has added another chapter to the ongoing legal fallout from the nationwide unrest that began after the arrest of Imran Khan in May 2023.
ATC-I Judge Manzar Ali Gul delivered the reserved judgment in the Mughalpura violence case, in which PTI leaders and workers were accused of attacking and torching police vehicles during nationwide unrest following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023.
The court sentenced Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Umar Sarfaraz Cheema, Mian Mehmood-ul-Rashid and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years in prison. Several other PTI workers were also given the same sentence. Meanwhile, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and 11 party workers were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The accused were produced in a makeshift courtroom set up inside Kot Lakhpat Jail where the high-profile verdict was delivered amid tight security.
According to prosecutors, the accused played a key role in organizing the riots on May 9 and allegedly incited party supporters to engage in violent protests. The prosecution relied on the testimony of 37 witnesses and argued that the evidence provided clear evidence of the accused’s involvement in attacks on police property and public disorder.
Twenty-two PTI leaders and workers were involved in the case, while two of the accused had earlier been declared admirals after allegedly evading arrest.
Riots erupted across Pakistan after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9. The arrest sparked mass protests that quickly turned violent, with attacks on military installations, government buildings and other state property. One of the most notable incidents was the attack on the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence, popularly known as Jinnah House.
Authorities then launched a nationwide crackdown that resulted in the arrest of thousands of PTI supporters, activists and leaders.
So far, four PTI leaders have been convicted in several other cases on May 9, including the attack on Shadman police station, the violence at Sherpao Bridge, the burning of police vehicles near Rahat Bakery and the burning of a Supreme Court judge’s security squad car near Jinnah House.
The post Shah Mehmood Qureshi Azad, Yasmin Rashid and other leaders of PTI sentenced to 10 years in May 9 trial appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
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