LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) reserved its verdict on Thursday after completing proceedings in the case related to the burning of police vehicles in Mughalpura during the May 9 riots.
ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill conducted the hearing and reserved the decision following the conclusion of final arguments by both the prosecution and defense.
The court is expected to deliver the verdict on June 20. Thirty-seven prosecution witnesses recorded their statements during the trial.
The case was filed against multiple Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed. The prosecution sought convictions on charges of assault, vandalism, and arson during the May 9 protests.
Most of these PTI leaders, excluding Qureshi, have already been sentenced in five related cases by ATCs, including incidents involving an attack on Shadman police station, violence at Sherpao Bridge, burning vehicles near Rahat Bakery, and torching a Supreme Court judge’s squad vehicle near Jinnah House. Convictions included charges of abetment of violence and criminal conspiracy, with each accused receiving an average 10-year sentence.
Qureshi was acquitted in all five cases due to insufficient evidence of his presence in Lahore on the day of the incidents. The May 9 riots erupted after PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau on the Islamabad High Court premises in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Subsequent clashes saw PTI leaders and supporters targeting military installations and public property nationwide.