RAWALPINDI: The Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Saturday convicted 47 persons, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Shehbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari and Hammad Azhar, to 10 years of imprisonment each in a case related to the May 9 riots.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on each convict in the GHQ attack case. The court has also ordered the confiscation of all properties belonging to the accused.
The court issued this decision after the completion of proceedings on the prosecution’s application. The prosecution was led by Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah. In the 16-page decision issued on Saturday, the court ruled that the convicted accused were found involved in the conspiracy behind the May 9 incidents.
According to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report, the accused were involved in planning the violent protests and, in this context, the convicted accused were found to be involved in attacks at the GHQ Gate, Hamza Camp, Army Museum and 6th Road Metro Station.
The verdict states that the JIT has named the convicted accused as the main planners of May 9 incidents. The accused are charged with arson, vandalism, attacks on police and damage to government property during the May 9 unrest.
The prosecution had filed an application under Section 19/10 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 on January 6 this year, seeking action against the accused who were declared fugitives in the case. The court constituted an inquiry on the prosecution’s request. In the judicial inquiry, 47 declared fugitives were found to be willfully absconding. In light of the inquiry report, the court issued a public advertisement. On January 8 this year, an advertisement was issued for the 47 fugitives, while the court also gave the declared fugitives an opportunity to surrender before the court within seven days. However, despite clear court orders and the issuance of the advertisement, no accused appeared in the court. Following their failure to appear, the court appointed a state counsel and framed the charges. The prosecution recorded the statements of 19 witnesses before the court, after which the state counsel cross-examined the prosecution witnesses. Thus, after the trial of 47 accused was completed, the court issued its verdict, sentencing the accused to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs500,000 each. In case of non-payment of the fine, all the accused will have to serve an additional one year in prison. The court also ordered the confiscation of properties of all the accused.
However, the court has ordered that if the accused appear in court within two months from the date of the verdict and present a reasonable reason for their absence, they may be given an opportunity for a fair trial.
In the GHQ attack case, a separate trial was conducted for 47 accused under Section 21L of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Among those convicted by the court are Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shozab and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. Others convicted include Shafiq, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Muhammad Ahmed Chatha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra, Ijaz Khan Jazi, Faisal Mukhtar, Khawar Shahzad, Zahid Abbas Chaudhry, Malik Abid Hussain, Ali Hasnain and Asim Rehman.
It should be remembered that 118 accused, including PTI founder Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, were indicted in this case in December 2024, while the statements of a total of 44 prosecution witnesses have been recorded in the case so far. Among the 118 accused, 18 were found to be continuously absent from the court during the trial, while 29 never appeared in the court after the registration of the case.
Case No 708 of the GHQ attack was registered at the RA Bazar Police Station on May 9, 2023.
The PTI, meanwhile, strongly condemned the ATC verdict, branding it politically motivated retribution. In reaction to the development, the party contended that the judgment not only violated the fundamental principles of justice but also represented yet another regrettable example of politically motivated retribution in Pakistan’s history.
The party criticised, what it called, the unjust, biased and politically-driven decision, saying that the events of May 9 were used under a coordinated narrative to target the PTI and its leadership. It asserted that these incidents have been exploited as a pretext to suppress an entire political party, incarcerate its leadership and intimidate its workers. It was noted that the party has consistently maintained that its approach is always rooted in the Constitution, law and peaceful political struggle. Unfortunately, the party noted, the latest verdict reinforces the perception that Pakistan’s judicial system is being used for political purposes.
The PTI lamented that the party founder and former chairman Imran Khan has been kept in prolonged unlawful detention, other key leaders and workers are entangled in various legal cases to restrict political activity and the sentences in the GHQ case are yet another link in this ongoing chain of political targeting.
“The party expressed astonishment that, for the first time, proclaimed offenders were handed down sentences while the trial was still ongoing — an unprecedented move that turns the country’s judicial system into a mockery,” the statement said.
The PTI firmly asserted that these decisions cannot silence the voice of the people nor halt the party’s democratic struggle and that all constitutional and legal avenues will be pursued while raising voice for justice at every forum.
The party demanded that this cycle of political revenge be immediately halted, that the true supremacy of Constitution and law be upheld, and that all political prisoners be released without delay.
“The people of Pakistan are fully aware that these actions constitute a continuation of political engineering,” the statement added. The PTI, alongside its workers and the public, will continue to fight for true democracy, supremacy of the Constitution, judicial independence, free speech and people’s right to governance.
The Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) also rejected the ATC’s decision in the May 9 GHQ case, describing it as a shameful act of blind justice and another black mark on the stain-ridden judicial history. In a statement issued here, opposition alliance’s spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain remarked, “We warn that these cruel decisions can neither suppress the voice of people nor stop their struggle for their right to self-determination.”
The alliance demanded that “this bloody game of political revenge be stopped immediately, the true supremacy of Constitution and law be established, and all political prisoners be released immediately.”
“These decisions are not the rule of law but the most horrific picture of contempt of law and revenge politics,” the statement said.
The events of May 9, it was noted, were used to destroy Pakistan’s largest political party by running propaganda machinery under a false narrative. Under this plan, a popular leader was put behind bars, workers were systematically crushed and threats and brutality were employed to suppress voices.
