Islamabad, January 2, 2026: An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday awarded two life sentences each to YouTuber Adil Raja, journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai, anchorperson Haider Raza Mehdi, analyst Moeed Pirzada and former army official Akbar Hussain in cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots.
The unrest had erupted across the country following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, during which government and military installations were vandalised.
ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the reserved verdicts after completion of trials conducted in absentia, following requests by the prosecution under relevant provisions of anti-terrorism laws. The accused were convicted on charges of what the prosecution described as “digital terrorism against state institutions,” alleging that they used digital platforms to incite, facilitate and amplify attacks during the May 9 violence.
According to the court orders, cases against Raja, Khan, Sehbai and Mehdi were registered at Ramna police station, while cases against Shakir, Pirzada and Hussain were registered at Aabpara police station.
The court sentenced the convicts to rigorous life imprisonment on two counts—waging or attempting to wage war against Pakistan and criminal conspiracy—along with fines of Rs500,000 for each offence. They were also handed 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs200,000 under Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which relates to conspiracy to commit offences under Section 121.
Additionally, the court awarded another 10-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs200,000 under Section 131 of the PPC for abetting mutiny or attempting to seduce members of the armed forces from their duty. The convicts were further given three separate five-year rigorous imprisonment terms under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, along with fines of Rs200,000 for each count.
The court ordered that all sentences would run concurrently. In case of failure to pay any of the imposed fines, the period of imprisonment would be extended by six months per offence. The benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure—allowing adjustment of time spent in detention—was also extended to the convicts.
Each order stated that the convicts have the right to file an appeal before the Islamabad High Court within seven days. The court also authorised the relevant station house officers to arrest the convicts upon their availability and commit them to jail to serve their sentences.
During the trials, the prosecution presented 24 witnesses. Public Prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain Kayani represented the state, while Advocate Gulfam Ashraf Goraiya appeared as defence counsel, having been appointed by the court.
A detailed written judgment, outlining the evidentiary basis and legal reasoning for the convictions, is expected to be issued separately.
The cases were registered in 2023. Shakir, Pirzada and Hussain were booked on charges of sedition and terrorism, while Sehbai, Khan, Raja and Mehdi were accused of abetting mutiny and inciting attacks on military installations during the May 9 protests.
Following the registration of the cases in 2023, rights group Amnesty International and media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had raised concerns, warning against the use of anti-terror and state security laws against journalists and commentators, and terming such actions a violation of freedom of expression.
