Meta Keyword (One Word):
Terrorism
Story:
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in the federal capital on Friday awarded multiple life sentences to Adil Raja, Haider Mehdi, Wajahat Saeed, Sabir Shakir and Moeed Pirzada for committing what the court termed “digital terrorism” in connection with the May 9, 2023 riots.
The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra in cases registered at Aabpara and Ramna police stations. In addition to the life sentences, the court also imposed 35 years of imprisonment under various legal provisions and fined the convicts Rs1.5 million.
According to the prosecution, the accused used vlogs and social media platforms to incite public violence against the government and the Pakistan Army. The court noted that the convicts neither joined the investigation nor appeared before the court, leading to the trial being conducted in absentia.
The prosecution, represented by Raja Naveed Hussain Kiani, presented 24 witnesses during the proceedings. Advocate Gulfam Goraya was appointed by the court to represent the accused as defence counsel.
In its detailed verdict, the court observed that the accused, despite being educated individuals and social media activists, deliberately incited unrest and encouraged protests that resulted in attacks on military and government installations following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan.
The court also pointed out that journalist Sabir Shakir allegedly issued messages to protesters, while Moeed Pirzada was accused of encouraging attacks on state institutions. Adil Raja, a former Pakistan Army major currently based in the UK, was found to have made allegations against the judiciary and the military.
The judgment comes days after the federal cabinet declared Adil Raja a proscribed person under Section 11-EE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Raja and retired Captain Haider Raza Mehdi had earlier been sentenced under the Army Act in 2023 for violations of the Official Secrets Act.
Concluding the verdict, the court stated that video and digital evidence was sufficient to establish that the accused conspired to incite violence during the events of May 9 and 10, terming their actions a clear case of digital terrorism.
Tags:
May9Riots, AntiTerrorismCourt, DigitalTerrorism, AdilRaja, PakistanJudiciary, SocialMedia, PTI, NationalSecurity
