The verdict was announced by Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Manzar Ali Gul inside Kot Lakhpat Jail. At the same time, the court acquitted senior PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, along with 13 other accused.

During the trial, final statements of 21 accused were recorded. The prosecution presented 56 witnesses to support its case, while four accused were declared ‘proclaimed offenders’.

The case was registered by the Race Course Police Station over an attack on the GOR-1 gate during the May 9 violence. The FIR said the accused damaged security cameras, broke police wireless equipment, smashed glass panels, and assaulted police personnel.

However, the prosecutors claimed the attack was carried out by a mob allegedly led by PTI leader Hammad Azhar. The court ensured the presence of both jailed and bail-granted accused during the proceedings.

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This verdict further adds to PTI’s legal troubles as many party leaders have already been sentenced in different May 9 cases, while several others, including Imran Khan, remain in jail in multiple cases.

This was the fifth case in which Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, and Ejaz Chaudhry have been convicted. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, however, secured an acquittal in this case.

Last month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-notified several PTI lawmakers, including Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz and National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan, after their convictions in May 9 cases.

The move followed another ATC verdict in Faisalabad, where several PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, and Zartaj Gul, were sentenced to 10 years in prison over violence cases linked to May 9, 2023.