A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faislabad sentenced on Thursday top Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to up to 10 years in prison in cases pertaining to May 9 protests.
Opposition leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub, opposition leader in Senate Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza and former MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq – former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed’s nephew – were among the 108 PTI leaders convicted out of the 185 implicated in the cases while 77 others were acquited.
Around 60 of those convicted including Shibli Faraz, Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul and Hamid Raza were sentenced to 10 years in prison each while other convicts were each handed prison terms of three years.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry was acquitted along with Zain Qureshi, Khayal Kastro, Faizullah Kamoka, Rana Asad Mehmood Khan, Bilal Ashraf Basra, Haroon Rasheed, Amara Rasheed, Sahibzada Hassan Raza, and Kamran Warraich.
Shafiq was absent from court during the hearing and did not appear. He has reportedly gone into hiding to avoid arrest.
Warrants issued
Earlier today, ATC issued arrest warrants for 50 PTI leaders in connection with various protest-related cases registered at multiple police stations in the federal capital ahead of PTI’s August 5 protest. The warrants were issued by Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja called for a nationwide protest on August 5 last week, urging the public to support what he termed a “historic movement” for national sovereignty rather than mere political survival.
Raja condemned what he described as unconstitutional actions against PTI lawmakers and a broader crackdown on dissent. He specifically criticised the Punjab Assembly’s decision to send references against 26 PTI members to the Election Commission of Pakistan, calling the move unlawful and politically motivated, and asserted that PTI members would continue to raise their voices against this step.
The warrants for 41 PTI leaders were issued on Thursday, while arrest warrants for nine others had been issued earlier. The warrants were issued in a case number registered at Karachi Company Police Station.
Prominent names among those facing arrest include former President Arif Alvi, Abdul Qayyum Niazi, Shibli Faraz, Faisal Javed, Salman Akram Raja, Rauf Hassan, Murad Saeed, and Ahmad Niazi.
Arrest warrants have also been issued for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Asad Qaiser, Hammad Azhar, Atif Khan, Shoaib Shaheen, Azam Khan Swati, Omar Ayub, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza.
Other PTI members named in the warrants include Aleema Khanum, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Kanwal Shauzab, Shandana Gulzar, and Sher Afzal Marwat.
