May 9 GOR Gate PTI sentencing sends leaders to jail as an anti-terrorism court in Lahore delivered another hard blow to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf over the May 9 violence. The verdict targeted Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Sarfraz Cheema, and Mian Mahmoodur Rashid. Each leader received a 10-year prison term for their role in the attack at the GOR Gate near Club Chowk. The decision reinforced the state’s stance against organized political violence.
ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gill announced the judgment inside Kot Lakhpat Jail. The court had earlier kept the decision pending after hearing final arguments on December 18. The judge also directed law enforcement to arrest and produce four accused who avoided the trial process. Farooq Anjum, Habib Ahmed, Arsalan, and Akbar Khan now face arrest orders after courts declared them proclaimed offenders.
Police nominated 25 accused in the case. Prosecutors presented statements from 56 witnesses during lengthy proceedings. Investigators described scenes of chaos at Club Chowk. Party workers damaged security cameras, smashed glass panes, and broke police wireless equipment. The mob attacked officers on duty and left public property in ruins. Police registered the case at the Race Course police station and detailed these acts in the FIR.
Prosecutors accused PTI leaders of pushing workers toward rebellion and street unrest during the May 9 incidents. The court accepted that narrative after reviewing evidence and testimonies. The ruling added another chapter to a growing list of convictions tied to the same day of violence.
Earlier, on September 9, an anti-terrorism court cleared Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a separate May 9 case after prosecutors failed to link him to the crime scene. That same court still handed 10-year sentences to Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, and Omar Sarfraz Cheema in related matters. Qureshi avoided punishment due to weak proof, a pattern seen in several cases.
The quartet first faced conviction on July 22. The latest ruling marked their fifth conviction, deepening legal trouble for PTI’s senior ranks. May 9 GOR Gate PTI sentencing sends leaders to jail again, and the message from courts stays loud and clear.