LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore announced its reserved verdict in the May 9 Sherpao Bridge arson and vandalism case.
The court acquitted senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and sentenced Dr. Yasmin Rashid and several other party leaders to 10 years in prison.
Those sentenced also include Dr. Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ijaz Chaudhry and Afzal Azim.
Meanwhile, Hamza Azim Pahat, Rana Tanveer, and Aizaz Rafiq were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Earlier on Tuesday, PTI leader and Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Bakhshar was also handed a 10-year prison sentence in a related May 9 case. National Assembly Member Ahmad Chattha and several other PTI workers involved in the case were also sentenced to 10 years each.
PTI chairman’s reaction
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar strongly criticized the verdict, saying it reflects the public’s eroding trust in the judiciary. “Today’s decisions show that the courts have failed. This is yet another controversial judgment,” said Barrister Gohar.
He argued that PTI’s founder and other leaders had long demanded fair and transparent trials. “The Constitution and law do not permit multiple trials in different places for the same case,” he added.
