Pakistan court acquits PTI’s Qureshi in 2023 riots case, jails senior leaders

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Tuesday acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a case linked to the May 9, 2023 riots, even as it handed down prison sentences to several senior party figures.

The court sentenced former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, former provincial minister Mian Mahmood ur Rasheed, senior PTI leader Dr. Yasmin Rashid, and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry to 10 years in prison each for setting a government vehicle on fire near Lahore’s Jinnah House. Socialite Khadija Shah received a five-year jail term. Qureshi and PTI lawmaker Rubina Jameel, however, were acquitted.

The verdict, announced inside Kot Lakhpat Jail by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul, had been reserved earlier. The case originally involved 51 accused, with 12 declared absconders. Trials of the remaining 39 concluded with Tuesday’s judgment.

For Qureshi, this marks a third acquittal in May 9-related cases. On August 11, he was cleared in two separate cases by the same court, while Rashid, Rasheed, Cheema, and Chaudhry received 10-year sentences in those proceedings as well.

The case, filed at Sarwar Road Police Station, carried terrorism and arson charges stemming from the violent protests on May 9, 2023, when PTI supporters took to the streets after party founder Imran Khan’s arrest. Demonstrators stormed military installations, including the historic Jinnah House in Lahore, sparking nationwide unrest.

Authorities described the riots as a direct assault on state institutions and charged dozens under terrorism, sedition, mutiny, and rioting provisions. PTI leaders, however, maintain the prosecutions are politically motivated efforts to sideline the party.

Military courts have since convicted scores of civilians over the unrest, sentencing many to terms ranging from two to 10 years — a process sharply criticized by human rights groups.

Khan, 72, who was ousted in 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote, has remained behind bars since August 2023. He was barred from contesting the February 2024 general election, which PTI claims was rigged. While Khan denies instigating the May 9 violence, multiple senior party leaders now face convictions, further tightening the legal noose around PTI ahead of crucial political decisions.