LAHORE – Relief for Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi as an anti-terrorism court in Lahore acquitted him while sentencing Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, and Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years in prison.
The ruling linked to Mughalpura violence case adds another chapter to the ongoing legal fallout from the nationwide unrest that erupted after Imran Khan’s arrest in May 2023.
ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the reserved verdict in the Mughalpura violence case, in which PTI leaders and workers were accused of attacking and torching police vehicles during the nationwide unrest that followed PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9, 2023.
The court sentenced Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years in prison each. Several other PTI workers were also convicted and awarded the same punishment. Meanwhile, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and 11 party workers were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The accused were presented before a makeshift courtroom established inside Kot Lakhpat Jail, where the high-profile verdict was delivered amid tight security arrangements.
According to the prosecution, the accused played a key role in orchestrating the May 9 disturbances and allegedly incited party supporters to engage in violent protests. Prosecutors relied on testimony from 37 witnesses and argued that the evidence clearly established the involvement of the accused in attacks on police property and public disorder.
The case involved 22 PTI leaders and workers, while two suspects had earlier been declared proclaimed offenders after allegedly evading arrest.
May 9 riots erupted across Pakistan after Imran Khan was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from the Islamabad High Court premises in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The arrest triggered widespread protests that quickly turned violent, with military installations, government buildings, and other state properties coming under attack. One of the most notable incidents was the assault on the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence, commonly known as Jinnah House.
In the aftermath, authorities launched a nationwide crackdown that resulted in the arrest of thousands of PTI supporters, workers, and leaders.
So far, four PTI leaders have also been convicted in multiple other May 9 cases, including those involving attacks on Shadman Police Station, violence at Sherpao Bridge, the burning of police vehicles near Rahat Bakery, and the torching of a Supreme Court judge’s security squad vehicle near Jinnah House.
