LAHORE:
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday sentenced former Punjab governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Ijaz Chaudhry, Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and others to ten years in prison each in a case related to the May 9 riots.
The case involved charges, including the torching of a vehicle belonging to the squad of a former judge.
However, ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gill acquitted former federal minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and several other PTI workers of the charges. Well-known fashion designer Khadija Shah was sentenced to five years in jail.
According to the police challan, a total of 51 accused were nominated in the case. Of these, 12 were declared proclaimed offenders, while 39, including five women, faced trial.
One woman, Sanam Javed, was declared a proclaimed offender. Out of the five women accused, three were acquitted.
In total, 21 accused were acquitted in the case, while the rest were awarded imprisonment.
Earlier, on August 18, Judge Gill had handed down sentences to the same PTI lawmakers in the “Rahat Bakery case,” observing that the May 9 attacks were carried out across multiple cities and targeted state buildings, military installations and monuments associated with the armed forces, in violation of global traditions of peaceful protest.
Issuing a detailed judgment in that case, Judge Gill had stated that PTI leaders were found to be involved in hatching a conspiracy in connection with the attacks following the arrest of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.
He wrote that protest in itself is not a crime, but that demonstrations lose their lawful character once violence enters them.
The judge remarked that across the world, citizens stage protests peacefully, holding placards without taking the law into their own hands. In Pakistan, however, official buildings, police, and military installations across the country came under attack
He further noted that it was a universal truth that a man can lie, but a document cannot.
“Now in this modern and digital era, the happening or non-happening of any incident cannot be concealed. The occurrence in hand is an open secret.”
“The same incidents also went viral through social media networks, individually by TikTokers and YouTubers. Several clips, snaps, and other material are still available on Facebook, YouTube, X, and TikTok till today. Just by clicking the link, everybody could visualize each and every incident of the tragic moments,” he added.
