ISLAMABAD: A Senate seat of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has come under threat following the conviction of party leader Murad Saeed in the May 9 GHQ attack case.
The Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced Murad Saeed to prison and imposed a fine for his role in the May 9 General Headquarters attack according to reports which revealed the court’s decision.
The Election Commission of Pakistan will issue a notification to disqualify Murad Saeed after the court decision which will result in PTI losing its Senate seat.
The ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah announced the verdict which resulted in 47 proclaimed offenders receiving 10-year prison sentences for their involvement in the case. The court imposed a Rs500,000 fine on each convicted individual and ordered the confiscation of their assets.
The list of sentenced individuals includes Umar Ayub Khan, Zartaj Gul, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, and Kanwal Shauzab, who are among several PTI leaders.
The verdict names Shehbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Muhammad Ahmed Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, and Rai Muhammad Murtaza as named individuals.
The case examines the violent events which occurred during the May 9 riots in Pakistan when protesters launched attacks against military and government facilities following the PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest.
The court ruling creates major political effects for PTI according to legal experts who state that the Election Commission needs to announce Murad Saeed’s disqualification from public office.
ATC awarded 10 years’ imprisonment to 47 accuses in GHQ attack case
Earlier, in a major verdict in the May 9 GHQ attack case, Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court has sentenced 47 declared accused to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rs 5.5 million.
The court has also ordered to confiscate the properties of all the convicted accused. The convicted leaders include Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shozab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Shahbaz Gul, Zulfi Bukhari, Muhammad Ahmed Chatha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra and Ijaz Khan Jazi.
The court decision has declared that in the light of the JIT report, these accused have been proven to be the main accused in the planning and conspiracy of the May 9 incidents. The accused have been charged with attacks, arson, vandalism and damage to government property at GHQ Gate, Hamza Camp, Army Museum and Sixth Road Metro Station. The case was prosecuted by Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah on behalf of the government.
According to the court, a total of 118 accused, including founder PTI and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, were indicted in December 2024, out of which 18 accused were continuously absent from the trial while 29 accused never appeared in court. A separate trial was conducted against these advertised accused under Section 21L of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The court issued an advertisement on January 8 this year and gave the accused a chance to surrender within 7 days, however, when none of them appeared, their State Counsel was appointed and the charge was framed. The prosecution recorded the statements of 19 witnesses, who were found guilty after cross-examination. The court issued this harsh verdict.
