An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore has announced its verdict in a case pertaining to the May 9 riots of 2023, sentencing four prominent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to prison while acquitting the party’s vice chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
As per the details, ATC judge Manzar Ali Gul delivered the ruling at Kot Lakhpat Jail after hearing arguments related to the torching of police vehicles in the Mughalpura area of the provincial capital during the nationwide protests triggered by former ousted premier Imran Khan’s arrest.
The court handed down 10-year prison sentences each to senior PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmood Ur Rasheed, Ejaz Chaudhry and Umar Sarfraz Cheema.
Qureshi, who was also nominated in the case, was acquitted of all charges.
The legal proceedings concluded after the court examined testimonies from 37 prosecution witnesses.
A total of 22 individuals were originally named in the police challan, of which the court issued its final ruling on 15 of the accused.
Two suspects, identified as Arbaz Zaman and Ilahi Bakhsh, were also declared absconders during the course of the trial.
