• Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and Ejaz Chaudhry handed 10-year terms in May 9-related GOR-I attack case
• In joint letter, five incarcerated leaders push for dialogue to resolve crisis

LAHORE: In another case linked to the May 9 riots, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while awarding 10-year prison sentences to senior PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry.

ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the verdict inside Kot Lakhpat Jail after concluding the trial of the accused in FIR No 852/2023, which relates to an attack on the entrance gate of the GOR-I Club Chowk. The case had been registered by the Race Course police, who later submitted a challan against 25 accused persons, including PTI leaders and party workers.

In the same case, the court also handed down 10-year imprisonment sentences to PTI workers Qasim Elahi, Muhammad Shehbaz, Mushtaq and Abdullah. However, the judge acquitted 12 other accused due to a lack of sufficient evidence against them.

This marks the fifth case in Lahore in which Mr Qureshi has been acquitted, while Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mehmoodur Rashid have been convicted. The majority of those convicted were charged with participating in the attack while armed with clubs, pelting stones and chanting slogans.

Previously, verdicts have alre­ady been announced in several other cases arising from the May 9 unrest, including trials related to the attack 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 squ­ad vehicle near Jinnah House.

Barrister Taimur Malik, counsel for Shah Mahmood Qureshi, stated that despite the acquittal, the PTI vice chairman would not be released from Kot Lakhpat Jail as his bail pleas in three other cases are still pending. He expressed hope that bail in those cases would be granted sooner rather than later, instead of Mr Qureshi having to wait for the completion of the trials.

“We have now obtained his bail or acquittals in around 50 cases across Punjab and Islamabad over the last three years,” the counsel added.

The May 9 riots erupted following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan by the National Accountability Bureau from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. Subsequently, PTI leaders and workers launched protests across the country, during which military installations and public property were attacked.

Joint letter

Separately, five senior PTI leaders currently incarcerated at Kot Lakhpat jail issued a joint letter through their lawyer, stating that dialogue is the only viable path to steer the country out of its ongoing crises.

The letter, signed by Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, stated that the party’s central leadership firmly believes that dialogue at all levels is the sole workable solution to the prevailing situation.

The incarcerated leaders said that Pakistan has been grappling with severe political, economic and social crises for the past three years and eight months, and that it is the responsibility of every patriot to think in the national interest and pursue objectives through peaceful and constitutional means.

According to the PTI leaders, negotiations alone can help pull the country out of the current turmoil. The letter further stated that the PTI founder has asked the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan to engage in consultations with national political parties in order to chart a way forward.

It added that broad-based consultation opens the door to meaningful dialogue. The imprisoned leaders also expressed hope that Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas would provide guidance to the nation during this critical period.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2025