An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the May 9 Mughalpura police vehicles arson case, while sentencing several senior PTI leaders to 10 years' imprisonment each. The convicted leaders include Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmood ur Rasheed, Ejaz Chaudhry, and Umar Sarfraz Cheema.
The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gill at Kot Lakhpat Jail, where the trial was conducted. The case pertains to the violent protests that erupted across Pakistan on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan. During the demonstrations, government buildings, military installations, and public property were vandalised, prompting authorities to launch a nationwide crackdown on PTI leaders and workers.
Prosecution's Case and Trial Proceedings
According to the prosecution, the accused, including several senior PTI leaders, were involved in orchestrating and facilitating protests that led to the torching of police vehicles in Lahore’s Mughalpura area. The prosecution presented 37 witnesses during the trial, all of whom were cross-examined by the defence. The court reserved its verdict after the final arguments were delivered from both sides.
A challan had been submitted against 22 accused in the said case, including Dr Yasmin Rashid and other senior PTI leaders. Today, the court pronounced its judgment regarding 15 accused, while two suspects — Arbaz Zaman and Ilahi Bakhsh — had previously been declared proclaimed offenders during the trial proceedings.
PTI Leaders Call for 'Charter of Pakistan'
Two days earlier, five incarcerated senior PTI leaders had called on the opposition leadership to engage Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in talks on a 'Charter of Pakistan'. In a letter to opposition leaders Mahmood Achakzai, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan — dated June 17 — PTI leaders Qureshi, Dr Yasmin, Cheema, Chaudhry, and Mahmoodur Rasheed — currently incarcerated in Kot Lakhpat Jail — proposed a framework aimed at ensuring constitutional supremacy, political stability, respect for electoral mandate and institutional balance beyond the government's proposed Charter of Economy.
On June 14, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had invited the opposition to sign a Charter of Economy while defending the federal budget in the National Assembly (NA). The letter stated that Pakistan stood at 'critical crossroads', pointing to the government's offer of an economic charter to address the country's challenges. 'While economic reform and policy continuity are undoubtedly essential, it is important to ask a more fundamental question, can economic stability be achieved in the absence of political stability and constitutional certainty?' the letter asked, adding that 'history, experience and common sense suggest otherwise.'
May 9 Riots and Aftermath
The May 9 riots erupted nationwide following the arrest of Imran Khan, after which PTI leaders and workers staged protests targeting both civil and military installations, including Jinnah House and the GHQ in Rawalpindi. The military condemned the events as a 'Black Day' and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act. As a result of the unrest, many PTI members were arrested and tried in military courts. In December, a military court convicted 25 individuals, including Imran Khan’s nephew, Hassan Khan Niazi, and later sentenced 60 more.
