ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday sentenced top aides of former prime minister Imran Khan to 10 years in prison, but acquitted Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a former foreign minister, in a case related to 2023 riots, Khan’s party and local media said.
The riots erupted after Khan was briefly arrested in Islamabad on corruption charges on May 9, 2023, with his supporters attacking government buildings and military installations.
Thousands of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party members and supporters were later detained and hundreds were charged under anti-terrorism laws in a sweeping crackdown, with some cases referred to military courts.
While a written order of Tuesday’s judgment by Lahore ATC judge Manzar Ali Gul was not available at the time of filing, the verdict was widely reported by Pakistani print and electronic media outlets and confirmed by the PTI.
“An anti-terrorism court in Lahore sentenced Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and others to 10 years in prison over a May 9 riots case,” PTI spokesman Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari said in a text message to reporters.
