Yasmin Rashid and others sentenced in two May 9 cases, Qureshi acquitted

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday announced the reserved judgments in two cases related to the violent protests on May 9, acquitting senior politician Shah Mehmood Qureshi in both of them.

However, other PTI leaders — Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Ejaz Chaudhry — were again convicted just like the Sherpao bridge case.

In a way, it is a repeat of the Sherpao bridge case where the prosecution could not prove charges against Qureshi, but managed to get sentencing for four abovementioned accused.

Manzar Ali Gill, the ATC judge, awarded them a 10-year jail term.

These PTI leaders were nominated in the cases — Shadman Police Station torching and Rahat Bakery arson where multiple police vehicles were set on fire.

Meanwhile, two other party figures Aliya Hamza and Sanam Javed are also among the convicts. However, they got a five-year term each.

In the Shadman Police Station case, the ATC convicted a total of 13 accused and discharged 12 others.

On the other hand, the Rahat Bakery arson case saw sentencing of seven and the court acquitting 10 nominated persons.

NO NRO

The latest ATC verdict coincides with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi’s statement, who on Monday said no one would get NRO, as he commented on the series of judgments announced in the May 9 cases.

He yet again held the PTI government responsible for the worsening law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said it was solely focused on the release of Imran Khan — the PTI founder.

But it is not just convictions. The PTI also getting the convicted parliamentarians disqualified and paving the way for by-elections, a process that Imran says his party would boycott.

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

Meanwhile, the ATCs are now deciding the May 9 cases at rapid pace at a time when the PTI is being blasted for the return of terrorists to Pakistan and the resultant rise of terrorism in Pakistan.

Read more: Govt to PTI: Who resettled TTP, those paying extortion can’t fight

A GULF TOO WIDE

While the PTI has been insisting on dialogue not only with the terrorists but also the neighbour across the western border, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir again said that several terrorist outfits operating from Afghanistan were acting against Pakistan.

This complete difference on the biggest challenge Pakistan is currently facing shows there is very little room for any “clemency” for Imran and his party despite the social media “projections”.

Read more: DG ISPR refutes reports of backchannel contacts with Imran Khan

Hence, an operation is launched in Bajaur after the failure of talks between tribal elders and Khawarij — the TTP terrorists.