Qureshi not guilty in another May 9 case, other PTI leaders convicted

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Tuesday acquitted senior PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a May 9 attacks case, awarded ten-year jail terms to Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed and Omar Sarfraz Cheema among others.

The latest sentencing coincides with the victory of PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah in a Senate by-election held after the conviction and disqualification of Ejaz Chaudhry in other May 9 cases.

Read more: PML-N gets boost with Rana Sanaullah’s Senate by-election win

Like previous May 9 cases, Qureshi escaped sentencing after the prosecution failed to prove his presence at the crime scene and violent protests.

Meanwhile, Khadija Shah is another prominent convicted person. The ATC judge, Manzar Ali Gill, awarded her a five-year sentence.

However, Rubina Jamil and Afshan Tariq also managed to prove their innocence during the trial of the case that pertains to setting ablaze a government vehicle. The case was registered with the Sarwar Road Police Station.

SERIES OF CONVICTIONS

It was July 22 when the quartet — Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed and Omar Sarfraz Cheema — got their first conviction. The latest ATC verdict is the fourth.

Read more: Qureshi acquitted, Yasmin Rashid convicted in Sherpao bridge case

So, the ATCs had convicted them in three cases: Sherpao Bridge violence, Shadman police station attack and Rahat Bakery police vehicles torching.

Also, other party leaders and workers have faced convictions in multiple cases by the ATCs in Sargodha and Faisalabad.

Read more: Omar Ayub among nine PTI lawmakers disqualified by ECP

Meanwhile, the PTI currently faces the worst-case scenario where Imran Khan, the party founder who is already serving his term in a graft case, may be convicted in the May 9 cases. The GHQ attack case is most high-profile among these.

Read more: Govt hails May 9 convictions, says violent protests part of recorded history