FAISALABAD:
A special anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad on Thursday sentenced top PTI leaders, including Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, Hamid Raza and Zartaj Gul, to 10 years in jail on charges related to riots that targeted state institutions in 2023.
Fifty-eight of the 185 defendants, who included parliamentarians and senior officials, were sentenced to 10 years in prison and the rest were given sentences ranging from one to three years, the court said.
The mass sentencing comes just days before the PTI’s planned nationwide protest on August 5, deepening political tensions and sparking sharp criticism from the opposition party.
Several PTI leaders, including members of the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly, were handed prison terms of up to 10 years.
The court convicted 108 individuals accused of participating in violent protests that erupted following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. The demonstrations led to attacks on state installations, including the Lahore corps commander’s residence, and government buildings across Pakistan.
Notable among the sentences was a three-year jail term for PTI Punjab Assembly member Junaid Afzal Sahi. However, some party members, including Khayal Ahmad Kastro, Zain Qureshi and former minister Fawad Chaudhry were acquitted.
According to the court order, “The prosecution has successfully proved its case without any shadow of doubt” against 17 of the accused, including the opposition leaders and Zartaj. They were sentenced to: 10 years rigorous imprisonment, Rs1 million fine under Section 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) read with Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC); 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, Rs 1m fine under Section 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) read with Section 34 PPC.
“The sentences of imprisonment awarded to [the] aforementioned convicts for both the offences shall run concurrently and [the] benefit of section 382B (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) is also extended to the convicts, if they have undergone some tenure of detention in this case previously,” the order read.
Moreover, 90 accused – designated the “actual perpetrators” of the riots in the court order — were sentenced on various charges read with Section 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) PPC.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan denounced the verdicts as “politically motivated,” vowing to challenge them in higher courts. “These convictions are not about justice but about silencing dissent,” he said, reaffirming the party’s commitment to peaceful political engagement.
In a statement released on social media, the PTI called the judgments “fabricated” and a “blatant violation of constitutional rights,” accusing the judiciary of acting under political pressure and denying defendants due process. The party claimed the timing of the sentences was intended to disrupt its protest campaign, which Imran Khan had announced from Adiala Jail.
“This marks an unprecedented moment in Pakistan’s judicial history — opposition leaders from both houses of Parliament have been imprisoned merely for their political affiliation,” the party asserted.
The court’s rulings are the latest in a broader crackdown on PTI. In May, an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad sentenced MNA Abdul Latif and others to 27 years in prison over related violence. Last year, military courts sentenced 85 civilians to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for attacks on military facilities during the May 9 unrest.
Meanwhile, PTI’s Ahmad Khan Bhachar was removed from his post as Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly following his conviction. Both Bhachar and fellow PTI leader Ahmad Chatha, who were sentenced to 10 years, received disqualification notices from the Election Commission of Pakistan. Chatha was elected from NA-66 (Wazirabad), while Bhachar represented PP-87 (Mianwali).
In another related development, an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad issued arrest warrants on Thursday for former President Arif Alvi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, and 48 other PTI leaders in connection with a separate protest case linked to incidents on November 26, 2022. The warrants stem from an FIR registered at the Karachi Company police station and were issued after the accused failed to appear in court.
Those facing arrest include several prominent figures, such as Asad Qaiser, Faisal Javed, Murad Saeed, Azam Swati, and Aleema Khan. The court ordered their immediate arrest and production before the judge.
The widening legal crackdown on PTI has intensified concerns over the narrowing space for political opposition in Pakistan. As the party’s leadership faces mounting legal and institutional challenges, questions persist about the fairness and inclusivity of the country’s political landscape.
