Lahore:
An anti-terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad on Monday sentenced 59 people-inclusive PTI leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Zartaj Yellow-to 10 years in prison in another 9 May case.
Out of 109, ATC judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh also accused 16 accused of 3-year prison for attacking the residence of PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah, who also belongs to Faisalabad.
Judge Sheikh also ordered confiscation of the properties of 42 PTI supporters and workers.
However, the court acquitted 34 accused, including former Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry and PTI MNA Zain Qureshi after prosecution could not establish their commitment to the above charges.
The case was part of a series of lawsuits relating to the violent protests that broke out after the first arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises on May 9, 2023.
Earlier, July 31, an ATC in Faisalabad sentenced top PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Yellow, MNA SaHibzada Hamid Raza and former MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq for ten years in prison in another case May 9.
In his judgment, which was handed down on Monday, the ATC judge observed that a culture of nihilism was intentionally promoted with “solipsist approach” and the workers were made to believe that they are commendable alone and that everyone else is condemned.
“Apart from them, no other political and ethically has any valid cause, and other political factions don’t even exist as they are, the only reality with a demand for self -righteousness,” he said,
He said that with such a form of political education, something destructive could be achieved as fateful 9 May events, which he said violation of all established political norms, universally accepted, of all civilized nations in the world.
“This is not a case of a four with a single occurrence, but it is the case with a conspiracy to create violent events throughout the country in the event of the arrest of the President of PTI Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, and it is very possible that a conspiracy of such size can lead to several occurrences when planned and organized by a political party that has enormous membership.”
Previously, the defense advisers had claimed that only three witnesses of the alleged conspiracy hatched out at the Rose Hotel in the Chakri area of Rawalpindi and Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence.
They said that witnesses’ participation – Asmat Kamal, Hassam Afzal and Muhamad Khalid, all policemen – in two alleged meetings were very questionable by their own revelations.
They said witness Asmat Kamal admitted that the local management was known to him prior to the alleged meeting at the Rose Hotel for his longer service in Rawalpindi.
Furthermore, he was unable to produce any report on his arrival and departure at the Chakri police station.
Similarly, the witnesses of the Meeting in Zaman Park admitted that premises in IMRAN’s residence were protected by heavy police development from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and there were so many checkpoints where the identity of any participant was carefully examined.
Therefore, their presence in the alleged place of the meeting was not established at all.
They argued that the prosecution was in variance on so many points regarding the participation of accused persons in alleged event and the role of defendants.
On Monday, Judge Sheikh also issued non-accessible warrants for arrest for 75 criminal sentences, including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Yellow and others because of their absence in the courtroom.
He ordered Faisalabad CPO to present them to the court so that they could be sent to jail to review their judgments stated on August 25.
According to judgments announced by various ATCs in May 9 -SAFE, the entire properties are confiscated by over 160 criminal sentences, including former Punjab Governor Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mehmoodur Rasheed.
The properties have been forfeited in accordance with section 7 (2). 2, in anti-terrorism, 1997.
On May 9, 2023, PTI legislators and supporters attacked military installations over Pakistan in the wake of IMRAN’s arrest of paramilitary rankers.
Later, the government launched a heavy-handed crash against the former reigning party while registering fours against thousands of people, including PTI founder Imran Khan.
Over 100 PTI workers and supporters were also handed over to military authorities for their trials in military courts.
