LAHORE: Four incarcerated PTI leaders have sent a reminder to the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) calling for an independent judicial review of the conduct of investigations, prosecutions and trials in the May 9 cases.
Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Senator Ijaz Chaudhry and Omar Sarfraz Cheema, in a representation through their counsel Rana Mudassar Umer, have urged the CJP to ensure that appellate proceedings involving ‘political prisoners’ should be heard and decided expeditiously so that constitutional remedies were not defeated by prolonged delay.
They stressed for examination whether convictions resting solely upon uncorroborated official testimony, in the absence of material evidence, satisfy the constitutional standard of proof required in criminal law.
They stated that they had submitted their representation on Sept 9 last year regarding grave violations of due process, fair trial and the misuse of anti-terrorism laws in the prosecution in the events of May 9, 2023.
Terming the CJP’s address at the National Conference on Prison Reforms as both timely and reassuring, they stated that the observation that “prisons are the true mirror of the criminal justice system” and that prison reform could not be separated from failures in investigation, prosecution and adjudication, reflected a profound constitutional truth. They stated that the CJP’s emphasis that the protection of prisoners’ rights was not an act of compassion but a constitutional obligation, was equally significant. “These principles compel an equally important reflection,” they requested.
“Today, perhaps the clearest mirror of the weaknesses within our criminal justice system is found in the continued incarceration and convictions of hundreds of individuals prosecuted in the May 9 cases,” they stated and added that their imprisonment raised fundamental constitutional questions regarding due process, equality before law, fair investigation and fair trial, questions that deserve institutional attention irrespective of political affiliation.
The incarcerated leaders stated that they had submitted representation that convictions were founded primarily upon uncorroborated oral testimony of police officials despite serious contradictions exposed during cross-examination.
They said the police could not even produce any independent evidence, witness and corroborative evidence including CCTV footage, Safe City recordings, geo-fencing data or reliable digital evidence.
They stated that selective investigation and prosecution produced different legal outcomes for those who had distanced themselves from PTI or quit politics. “These concerns can be verified through record of trials proceedings,” they stated.
Referring to the CJP’s observations, they requested that the earlier representation dated September 9, 2025 must be revisited for an appropriate constitutional action.
Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2026