May 9 riots case: ATC acquits Shah Mahmood Qureshi, jails Yasmin Rashid, others for 10 years

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Tuesday acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in another May 9 violence case, while sentencing senior party leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mehmoodur Rasheed to 10 years in prison each, Aaj News reported

The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul at Kot Lakhpat Jail in connection with a case pertaining to the burning of a government vehicle near Jinnah House during the May 9 riots.

According to the judgment, the court concluded the trial of 39 accused, convicting 18 and acquitting 21, including PTI leader Rubina Jamil.

Those sentenced to 10 years included Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, Mehmoodur Rasheed, and former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema. PTI activist Khadija Shah was awarded a five-year sentence.

This marks the second acquittal for Qureshi in recent weeks in May 9-related cases. Earlier, he was cleared in the Shershah Bridge arson case, while Rashid and Rasheed had similarly been sentenced to 10 years in prison in that case.

Leaders of the embattled PTI have been facing multiple cases for their alleged involvement in the violent protests that erupted countrywide on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in a corruption case.

Imran, who has been in prison since 2023, facing charges of corruption, land fraud and disclosure of official secrets, is also being tried separately on similar charges related to the riots.

The government accused him and other PTI leaders of inciting the May 9, 2023, protests, during which demonstrators attacked military and government buildings, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and Jinnah House in Lahore.

The former prime minister denies wrongdoing and says all the cases are politically motivated to dismantle his party.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on August 5 disqualified several PTI legislators, including Shibli Faraz, Omar Ayub and Zartaj Gul, as well as Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, following their conviction by an ATC in Faisalabad in the cases pertaining to May 9 riots.

Through a notification, the election commission announced that since they had been convicted by the ATC, therefore, they were disqualified and de-notified. Hence, the ECP said, their seats have become vacant.