Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will challenge recent verdicts issued by the Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court in relation to the May 9 incidents, asserting that the judgments are politically motivated and legally flawed.
The court’s decisions, announced on Monday, resulted in both acquittals and convictions of prominent PTI leaders. Senior party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi was acquitted in two major cases, the Shadman Town police station arson case and the arson incident outside Rahat Bakery. However, several other senior figures faced severe sentences.
According to the court’s ruling, PTI leaders Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, and Imran Khan’s guard Hafiz Arshad were each handed 10-year prison terms. PTI Punjab’s chief organiser Alia Hamza and party member Sanam Javed were sentenced to five years in prison for their alleged involvement in the Shadman police station incident.
In total, the Shadman arson case concluded with 13 convictions and 12 acquittals. The Rahat Bakery case saw seven individuals convicted and 10 acquitted.
Following the announcement, PTI issued a strong public statement condemning the verdicts as “a blatant miscarriage of justice.” The party claimed that the judgments were not based on fair legal assessment but on political vendettas aimed at weakening PTI’s leadership.
The statement alleged that the trials lacked transparency and violated the principles of due process. Proceedings were reportedly held behind closed doors, sometimes late at night, without open access for the public or the media. The party accused the authorities of relying on unsubstantiated and “absurd” evidence, which it argued could not withstand proper legal scrutiny.
PTI’s leadership maintained that the charges of terrorism against peaceful political leaders and workers were an affront to both the Constitution and the ideals of justice. According to the party, the uniform pattern of “controversial” decisions across multiple cases suggested a systemic collapse of the judicial process.
Reaffirming its stance, PTI vowed to stand firm with its leaders and supporters, whom it described as “innocent and wrongfully convicted.” The party declared its intention to file appeals in higher judicial forums, including the High Courts and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
PTI further stressed that it would continue its political, legal, and public campaign to restore democratic rights and uphold constitutional supremacy. “We will not be silenced, intimidated, or deterred,” the statement concluded, promising to carry on the struggle “until the last breath.”
The May 9 cases stem from a series of violent incidents and protests that erupted nationwide following the arrest of PTI’s founding chairman earlier this year. The government has accused party members of orchestrating attacks on public and private property, while PTI insists its members were exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest.
As the appeals process begins, legal experts and political analysts anticipate a prolonged battle in the courts, with potential implications for the broader political climate in Pakistan.
