59 PTI leaders get 10-year jail term

A anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan's Faisalabad on Monday sentenced key PTI leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Zartaj Gul, along with 56 others, to 10 years in jail, Dawn.com reports.

The court also acquitted 34 in the case of an attack on former interior minister Rana Sanaullah’s house during the May 9, 2023 riots.

On May 9, 2023, military installations and state-owned buildings were vandalised as former prime minister Imran Khan's PTI supporters protested the arrest of ex-premier Imran Khan, who was released later but has been imprisoned in various cases since August 2023. Following the riots, thousands of protesters, including the party’s top leadership, were arrested.

PTI legal team head Malik Khalid Shafiq confirmed the convictions to Dawn. He said that out of the total 109 accused, 59 were handed 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and 16 were given three years’ jail time.

PTI parliamentarians convicted would face automatic disqualification under Article 63(1)(g) of the Constitution, which bars members convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude or corrupt practices.