ISLAMABAD: The judge of an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore this week ordered the release of former prime minister Imran Khan’s top aide, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a day after he was acquitted in cases related to the violent riots on May 9, 2023, in the eastern city.
Qureshi, who served as foreign minister under Khan’s government from 2018-2022, has been in custody since August 2023 after he was arrested over his alleged role in leaking the contents of a secret diplomatic cable. The Islamabad High Court set aside Khan and Qureshi’s convictions in the case in June 2024, according to which they were both serving 10 years in prison.
Cases against the senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader were also registered for his alleged involvement in the May 9 riots of 2023 involving an attack on the Shadman police station and the burning of police vehicles near Jinnah House in the eastern Pakistani city, as per local media reports.
Scores of Khan supporters attacked government buildings and military installations nationwide in violent protests on May 9, 2023, after the former premier was briefly detained on corruption charges. The Lahore ATC held a hearing on two cases related to the May 9 riots on Monday, sentencing over a dozen PTI members to as much as 10 years in prison, which included top Khan aides. Qureshi was acquitted in both May 9 cases by the same court.
