• Lahore court imprisons Yasmin, Ejaz, Cheema for 10 years; Aliya, Sanam get five years; Qureshi acquitted again
• PTI denounces verdicts as ‘brazen affront to justice’, vows to challenge them in court
• Asad Qaiser says party to demand ‘real freedom’ on Independence Day

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Monday sentenced several senior PTI leaders to 10 years of imprisonment in two separate cases concerning the May 9 violence, while it acquitted PTI vice chief Shah Mehmood Qureshi, among other party workers.

The decisions were announced by ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill at Kot Lakhpat Jail in the presence of the accused. Before these orders, an ATC in the provincial capital last month convicted the PTI leaders in the Sherpao Bridge attack case.

In the Shadman police station attack case, the court awarded ten-year rigorous imprisonment to Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Meh­moodur Rash­eed, Ejaz Chaudhry, Bilal Wajahat, Muhammad Asad, Zain Ali, Syed Ali Hassan, Niaz Ahmad, Faheem Qaiser, and Manzar Khan.

PTI leader Aliya Hamza Malik and social media activist Sanam Javed, meanwhile, were sentenced to five years in jail. Both women, who were out on bail, were not present in the court when the verdict was announced.

According to Dawn.com, Aliya Hamza said that the PTI leaders did not fear punishment and would not take one step back. “We are standing by the PTI founder and will continue to stand by him,” she said.

“Maryam Nawaz was convicted because of corruption, while I was convicted because of loyalty. I have already served 16 months in prison; I am not afraid,” she added.

She stated that she was already consulting her lawyers to file an appeal against the sentence with the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Besides Shah Mehmood Qureshi, those acquitted in the case included Sohail Khan, Muhammad Awais, Muhammad Faizan, Tayyab Sultan, Shahid Baig, Rafiuddin, Farid Khan, Suleman Ahmad, Abdul Qadir, Majid Ali, and Bakhtrawan.

Arson case

Similarly, Omar Cheema, Yasmin Rashid, Mehmoodur Rasheed, and Ejaz Chaudhry were awarded ten-year rigorous imprisonment in a case concerning the burning of police vehicles near the Lahore corps commander’s residence. Hafiz Muhammad Arshad, Bilal Bashir, Muhammad Qasim, Ayesha Ali Bhutta, Zainul Hassan, and Ali Hassan were also convicted by the judge.

The judge acquitted seven accused, including Amjad Khan, Abrar Ahmad, Faisal Moinuddin, Muhammad Jamil, Sadia Naz and Tasneem Akhtar, besides Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

It may be noted that among the PTI top brass, Mr Qureshi has been acquitted in three May 9 cases being heard in Lahore, whereas Dr Yasmin, Mr Cheema, Mr Chaudhry, and Mr Rasheed have been convicted in all three.

On July 22, a Lahore ATC acquitted Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a May 9 case related to the Sherpao Bridge, but convicted the rest of the senior leadership named in the FIR. The court had concluded that the convicts conspired to commit arson and were present at the site of the violence.

‘Brazen affront to justice’

The PTI denounced the punishment meted out to its senior leadership, calling it a “brazen affront to justice and the rule of law”. Talking to Dawn, party leader Asad Qaiser termed the decision a “murder of justice”, alleging that it was a decision of the executive announced by the court.

“It was the decision of the executive but announced by the court,” Mr Qaiser alleged, saying they would challenge the verdicts in superior courts.

Mr Qaiser, who held a protest in Islamabad with other parliamentarians against the rulings, said the party would use Independence Day on Aug 14 to demand ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ (true freedom). “We will demand that there should be a rule of law as per the directions of Quaid-i-Azam,” he said.

In a separate statement, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party categorically rejected the verdict and reaffirmed that it would pursue legal, public and political struggle at every forum until justice was served. He said the verdicts were delivered “purely on the basis of political vendetta, disregarding all legal principles and the requirements of a fair trial”.

Mr Akram alleged that the trials were unfairly conducted to achieve a specific result. “It is deeply regrettable that transparency was entirely discarded in these cases, with the accused denied even the basic right to present their defence,” he said, claiming that proceedings were held late at night and behind closed doors.

He claimed that the series of verdicts followed a “pre-written script” with the goal of crushing the PTI and intimidating its members. The PTI spokesperson vowed that the party would not be discouraged by the rulings.“These decisions will never deter us from our struggle for democratic rights, constitutional supremacy, and the rule of law,” he said, affirming that PTI would challenge every verdict in the high courts and the Supreme Court.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2025