Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court Sentences PTI Leaders to 10 Years in 9th May Cases

Lahore – The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore has sentenced senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry, Umar Sarfraz Cheema, and Mian Mehmood-ul-Rashid to **10 years imprisonment each** in additional cases related to the 9th May incidents.

This verdict comes a day after another ATC ruling in a separate 9th May case where former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was acquitted, while Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmood-ul-Rashid, and Ijaz Chaudhry were also sentenced to 10 years in jail.

According to PTI’s lawyer Rana Mudassar, these cases pertain to the burning of police vehicles in the Gulberg area and a container set on fire near Kalma Chowk on **9th May 2023**, following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

The hearings were conducted at **Kot Lakhpat Jail** under ATC-III Judge Arshad Javed. In the Kalma Chowk case, **22 accused were sentenced to 10 years** while 5 were acquitted. In the Gulberg case, 5 were sentenced and 22 were acquitted. The court noted that Shah Mahmood Qureshi has not yet been formally charged in these cases; his trial will commence separately after a supplementary challan is filed.

The prosecution presented **78 witnesses** across both cases. In the Gulberg case, a challan was submitted against 33 individuals, with 4 declared absconders. In the Kalma Chowk case, 36 individuals were challaned, while Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed, Zubair Niazi, and Mian Aslam Iqbal, among others, were declared fugitives. The prosecution claimed that PTI leadership had incited workers toward rebellion and public disorder.

After the verdict, PTI’s lawyer stated that the cases were routine but that sentences were delivered unexpectedly during nighttime, denying adequate opportunity for defense. He added that the jailed leaders remain resolute, and over **200 years of sentences** have already been handed down across multiple 9th May cases, which will be challenged in the High Court.

With these rulings, **7 out of 14 cases** related to the 9th May incidents in Lahore have been decided, including the attacks on Shadman police station, Sherpao Bridge, police vehicles near Rahat Bakery, the Supreme Court judges’ squad near Jinnah House, and the GOR-I Club Chowk gate.