ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday sentenced 47 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders and supporters to 10 years imprisonment and a PKR 5,00,000 fine each in absentia for vandalism and violence during the May 9, 2023, protest.
The countrywide protest was launched by workers and leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following the arrest of former premier and party founder Imran Khan in Islamabad.
A group of protesters also tried to storm the General Headquarters, the seat of the army chief, in Rawalpindi, resulting in vandalism of the properties.
The case was registered at the RA Bazar Police Station, Rawalpindi, soon after the incident.
The PTI supporters were charged with arson, siege, vandalism, attacks on police, and damaging government property, specifically in connection with attacks on the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp, the Army Museum, and Sixth Road Metro Station.
The anti-terrorism court (ATC) Rawalpindi judge, Amjad Ali Shah, issued the verdict against the 47 who had already been declared as proclaimed offenders.
The court found them guilty and sentenced each of them to 10 years imprisonment, along with a fine of PKR 5,00,000 per convict and the confiscation of their movable and immovable properties.
In the event of non-payment of the fine, the convicted accused will be required to serve additional imprisonment.
Among the convicted PTI leaders are Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Murad Saeed, Zartaj Gul, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Ejaz Khan Jazi, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra, Muhammad Ahmad Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, and Rai Muhammad Murtaza, among others.
According to the court's written verdict, the convicted accused were found involved in the conspiracy behind the May 9 incidents, with a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) identifying them as key suspects in the planning of the violent protests.
The 47 individuals were tried separately under Section 21 L of the Anti-Terrorism Act, as they had been absent from court proceedings and were declared proclaimed offenders.
The May 9 GHQ attack case is part of a broader prosecution in which a total of 118 accused, including PTI founder Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were also indicted, with charges formally framed against all 118 in December 2024.
Khan is currently in Adiala Jail, facing multiple cases which were instituted against him after his government was removed in April 2022.