Lahore, December 20, 2025: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday handed 10-year prison terms to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed in two separate cases related to the May 9, 2024, riots.
Rana Mudassar, counsel for the PTI leaders, confirmed on Saturday that the cases involve the burning of police vehicles in Lahore’s Gulberg area and the torching of a container near Kalma Chowk during nationwide unrest that erupted following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan. The riots lasted over 24 hours, with protesters vandalising government buildings, military installations, and attempting to breach the residence of the Lahore corps commander.
ATC-III Judge Arshad Javed presided over the hearings at Kot Lakhpat jail, sentencing the four leaders to 10 years in each case. In total, five individuals were sentenced in the Gulberg case, while 22 were sentenced in the Kalma Chowk case. The judge acquitted 22 defendants in the Gulberg case and five in the Kalma Chowk case. Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has not yet been indicted and will face trial separately once the prosecution submits a supplementary challan.
The prosecution presented 78 witnesses across both cases, charging the PTI leaders with inciting party workers to create public disorder. In the Gulberg case, 33 individuals were formally charged, with four declared proclaimed offenders. In the Kalma Chowk case, 36 were charged, while 12 others, including Hammad Azhar, Murad Saeed, Zubair Niazi, and Mian Aslam Iqbal, were declared absconders.
Speaking to the media, Mudassar criticised the timing of the verdicts, saying, “Sentences have been handed down once again in this darkness of night,” and noted that the defence was not given a full opportunity to present its case. He added that the morale of prisoners in Kot Lakhpat jail remains high and that the sentences, which collectively exceed 200 years for the leaders so far, will be challenged in the High Court.
With these rulings, verdicts have now been announced in seven out of the 14 cases linked to the May 9 riots in Lahore. Previous decisions included attacks on Shadman police station, Sherpao Bridge, police vehicles near Rahat Bakery, a Supreme Court judge’s squad vehicle near Jinnah House, and the GOR-I Club Chowk entrance gate.
