A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court on Saturday sentenced 47 individuals, including several leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to 10 years in prison each for their involvement in the violence that erupted during the May 9 riots.
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The verdict was announced by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Amjad Ali Shah, who also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on each convict and ordered the confiscation of their properties.
Among those convicted are senior PTI leaders Omar Ayub Khan, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Shehbaz Gill and Hammad Azhar. Others found guilty include Kanwal Shauzab, Rashid Shafiq, Zulfi Bukhari, Muhammad Ahmed Chatha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra and Ijaz Khan.
The court ruled that the convicted individuals were central conspirators in the unrest and were involved in attacks on key military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) gate, Hamza Camp and the Army Museum.
According to the prosecution, the case initially involved 118 accused, including PTI founder Imran Khan and senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who were formally indicted in December 2024. During the trial, statements from 44 prosecution witnesses were recorded.
The riots broke out on May 9, 2023, after Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in a corruption case. Following the arrest, thousands of supporters staged protests across Pakistan, targeting public property and military facilities, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore and the GHQ in Rawalpindi.
