Faisalabad, August 25, 2025: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad on Monday sentenced senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, and several others to 10 years in prison for their involvement in the attack on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah’s residence during the May 9, 2023 riots.
The verdict was announced in a case registered at Samanabad Police Station. Out of 109 accused, the court sentenced 75 individuals and acquitted 34.
Among those handed down 10-year jail terms were Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Rai Murtaza Iqbal, Farah Afgha, Kanwal Shauzab, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Ahmad Chattha, Ansar Iqbal, Bilal Ijaz, Ashraf Sohna, Mehr Javed, and Shakeel Niazi. Meanwhile, Sheikh Rashid Javed and a number of PTI workers were sentenced to three years in prison.
The decision adds to PTI’s mounting legal challenges, as numerous leaders have been convicted in connection with the May 9 violence, while others — including party founder Imran Khan — remain incarcerated in multiple cases.
Earlier this month, an ATC in Lahore sentenced Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, and former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, among others, to 10 years in prison. In the Jinnah House case, the court handed similar sentences to Rashid, Cheema, Chaudhry, Rasheed, and several others, while acquitting Shah Mahmood Qureshi and multiple co-accused.
Last week, PTI founder’s nephews, Shershah and Shahrez — sons of Aleema Khan — were also arrested over their alleged role in the May 9 unrest.
The riots erupted after the arrest of Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court premises in a corruption case. Thousands of PTI supporters stormed public property and military installations, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, in one of the most serious episodes of political violence in Pakistan’s recent history.
