ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani opposition leader and dozens of supporters from former prime minister Imran Khan’s party were sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, government officials confirmed.
The verdicts were issued by anti-terrorism courts in Lahore and Sargodha following convictions tied to violent protests after Khan’s arrest last year.
“Punjab Assembly’s Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Bhachar has been awarded a 10-year sentence,“ said deputy law minister Aqeel Malik. Bhachar, who leads the opposition in Punjab, vowed on social media to continue backing Khan despite the ruling.
A PTI spokesman noted Bhachar was only detained late Tuesday. In Sargodha, a court sentenced a sitting lawmaker, a former parliamentarian, and 32 PTI supporters to 10 years each for attacking government buildings.
Lahore’s court separately jailed eight PTI members, including ex-Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema and former minister Yasmin Rashid, for similar charges.
Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was among six acquitted. The cases stem from unrest after Khan’s May 2023 arrest, which saw clashes with security forces and attacks on state property.
PTI’s London-based spokesman Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari condemned the trials as “political spectacles… rushed through at breakneck speed,“ citing late-night hearings. Khan, jailed since August 2023 on contested corruption charges, remains a potent political force despite a media blackout on his name.
A UN panel previously called Khan’s detention legally baseless, suggesting it aimed to bar him from elections.
His enduring popularity challenges Pakistan’s ruling coalition, which blocked PTI from power after disputed polls. – AFP
