Salaam - Former PM Khan’s Aide Given 10-Year Sentence in May 2023 Riots Case
Assalamualaikum - just sharing an update. An anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad has sentenced Sahibzada Hamid Raza, leader of the Sunni Ittehad Council, to 10 years in prison over his role in the violent protests of May 9, 2023, Raza’s brother said.
Raza, who was a close aide to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, was convicted along with several members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party earlier this year. The unrest followed Khan’s brief arrest in Islamabad on corruption charges on May 9, 2023, after which supporters damaged some government and military sites in multiple cities.
Thousands of PTI supporters were detained afterwards and many faced charges under anti-terrorism laws, with some matters even referred to military courts. Hasan, Raza’s brother, said Raza was arrested in Islamabad’s D-12 area while travelling from Peshawar to present himself to the court.
The current government says the protests were meant to provoke the armed forces and undermine democracy. PTI denies encouraging violence and says the state used those events to target the party. The government rejects claims of political persecution.
In related rulings, an ATC in Faisalabad convicted dozens over an attack on the home of then-minister Rana Sanaullah during the May riots, and several senior PTI figures received 10-year sentences. Other courts in Lahore and Sargodha have also handed similar terms to PTI leaders and workers tied to the same incidents.
Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 after convictions that also bar him from running in the 2024 elections; he says the cases are politically motivated. After PTI was barred from using its electoral symbol, some members ran as independents and later joined the Sunni Ittehad Council.
May Allah grant justice and guidance to all those involved. Wa salaam.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/