Pak high court suspends sentences of 10 people convicted for links with May 9, 2023 protest
Pak high court suspends sentences of 10 people convicted for links with May 9, 2023 protest
Islamabad, A Pakistani high court on Friday suspended the sentences of 10 people who were convicted for links with the violent protest of May 9, 2023, that erupted after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was arrested on May 9, 2023, which enraged his followers who resorted to violence and vandalism, targeting military and civil buildings.
Police in a countrywide swoop arrested hundreds of PTI supporters and scores of them were charged under various laws for resorting to violence.
An anti-terrorism court had sentenced the 10 accused in November last year to a combined five years and ten months in prison for their alleged role in attacking police personnel and setting a checkpoint on fire at Islamabad’s Faizabad Interchange.
They had challenged the conviction in the Islamabad High Court where a division bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan heard their pleas.
The court after hearing arguments by the lawyers decided to suspend the sentences and also granted them bail upon submission of surety bonds worth Pakistani ₹25,000 each.
The court in its written order noted that the case records did not establish that any of the convicts were arrested from the protest site.
While ordering their release, the court directed them to appear before the court for all future hearings as the appeals process continues.
The chargesheet revealed that five of the 10 convicted individuals were Afghan nationals and the court ordered those accused to submit their original identity documents to the deputy registrar for verification.
“In case of Afghan citizenship, the deputy registrar shall retain the documents,” the court ruled.
The Pakistan government accused the PTI of using Afghan refugees for its protests but the party rejected such allegations.
Meanwhile, the PTI leadership on Friday rejected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to resume stalled talks with the government through a parliamentary panel to lower the country’s political temperature.
The much-hyped negotiations between the government and Imran Khan’s PTI hit a snag last week after the opposition walked out of negotiations following instructions from the jailed party founder.
The opposition also skipped the fourth round of meetings planned on Tuesday, saying the decision to quit talks could only be reviewed following the formation of judicial commissions, seeking probes into May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024, events as well as the release of “political prisoners”.
Earlier this month, a Pakistani court sentenced Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 14 and seven years in prison respectively after finding them guilty of corruption in the 190 million pounds al-Qadir Trust case.
Khan claims all cases against him were “politically motivated”. Last year, he was acquitted in the cipher case for disclosing official secrets and the Iddat case for violating marriage laws but was charged in the Toshakhana 2 corruption case in December.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
