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• Adil Raja, Wajahat S. Khan, Sabir Shakir, Shaheen Sehbai, Moeed Pirzada, Haider Mehdi and Akbar Hussain sentenced by ATC
• Each man tried ‘in absentia’; given two life sentences each; charged with ‘waging war against state’ and ‘incitement’ related to May 9 riots
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday handed down two life sentences each to over half a dozen journalists and YouTubers in cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots.
The unrest, which saw government and military installations vandalised, erupted following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The prosecution accused the convicted individuals of engaging in “digital terrorism against state institutions” in relation to the events on May 9, 2023.
The cases stemmed from allegations that the accused used online platforms to incite, facilitate and amplify attacks against state institutions during the May 9 unrest.
Former army officer Adil Raja; YouTuber Haider Raza Mehdi; journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai; analyst Moeed Pirzada; and, former army official Akbar Hussain were sentenced by the ATC on Friday.
In absentia
Verdicts, earlier reserved, were announced by ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra after the completion of trials conducted in absentia — at the prosecution’s request and by means of invoking the relevant provisions of anti-terrorism laws.
According to court orders issued by Judge Sipra — seen by Dawn — the cases against Adil Raja, Wajahat Saeed Khan, Shaheen Sehbai and Haider Raza Mehdi were registered at Islamabad’s Ramna police station.
Meanwhile, cases against Sabir Shakir, Akbar Hussain and Moeed Pirzada were registered at the federal capital’s Aabpara police station.
The court sentenced the men to rigorous life imprisonment on two counts: waging or attempting to wage war against Pakistan, and criminal conspiracy.
They were also fined Rs500,000 for each of the two offences.
They were also sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs200,000 under Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The PPC provision deals with the subject of conspiracy to commit offences that are punishable under Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war against Pakistan).
Moreover, the court imposed another 10-year rigorous imprisonment term and a Rs200,000 fine for committing an offence under Section 131 of the PPC (abetting mutiny or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from their duty).
They were also awarded triple five-year rigorous imprisonment sentences on three counts under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, along with fines of Rs200,000 for each offence.
In case they fail to pay the fine for any of the offences they have been found guilty of committing, the period of their imprisonment will be extended by six months, according to the court orders.
The court granted the convicts the benefit of Section 382-B (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and that all sentences handed out to them were to run concurrently.
“The convict is informed that he has the right to file/prefer an appeal in the Hon’ble Islamabad High Court, Islamabad within seven days,” each of the orders read.
The court also authorised and instructed the relevant station house officers to arrest the convicts “upon his availability and to forward him to jail for the commitment of his sentence”.
Trial proceedings
During the trial, the prosecution presented 24 witnesses. Public Prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain Kayani represented the state, while Advocate Gulfam Ashraf Goraiya appeared on behalf of the accused.
Records show that Advocate Goraiya was appointed as the defence counsel by the court.
A detailed written judgement, which is yet to be issued by the court, is expected to outline the evidentiary basis and legal reasoning underpinning the multiple convictions and sentences.
The cases against the seven convicted individuals were registered in 2023.
The case against Sabir Shakir, Moeed Pirzada and Akbar Hussain was registered by Islamabad police on charges of sedition and terrorism for their alleged involvement in the violence and vandalism amid protests that erupted in the wake of PTI founder’s arrest.
Similarly, Shaheen Sehbai, Wajahat Saeed Khan, Adil Raja and Haider Raza Mehdi were booked for “abetting mutiny” and inciting people to attack military installations across the country on May 9, 2023.
Response
Although they are usually quite active on social media, the X accounts of Wajahat S. Khan, Shaheen Sehbai, Moeed Pirzada and Akbar Hussain were silent over the development until going to press.
However, in separate tweets, Sabir Shakir, Adil Raja and Haider Mehdi reacted to the sentencing.
“Speaking truth to power is now called Digital Terrorism in Pakistan,” wrote Raja, while Shakir vowed to continue raising his voice “for the Constitution, law, democracy, independent judiciary, free media, free parliament, and fundamental rights”.
Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026
