ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended convictions of the 10 PTI sentences of 10 convicts involved in the May 9 riots cases.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan directed the convicts to submit bail bonds worth Rs 25,000 each.
The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) sentenced them to five years and 10 months in prison on November 22. Authorities accused them of attacking police and burning a checkpoint in Faizabad.
The IHC remarked that officials had not arrested any convict at the crime scene. The court ordered the deputy registrar to verify their nationality by collecting their original ID cards. Reports suggest that five of the convicts are Afghan citizens.
The prosecutor opposed the suspension. He argued that CCTV footage and other evidence supported the trial court’s verdict. Despite this, the IHC accepted the bail pleas and ordered the convicts to attend all future hearings.
Separately, military courts pardoned 19 convicts in the May 9 riots.
An ISPR statement confirmed the development. It stated that the convicts had sought mercy during their sentences. The military reviewed 67 clemency petitions, sending 48 for legal proceedings. Authorities granted amnesty to 19 individuals on humanitarian grounds.
Violence erupted across Pakistan after authorities arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 9, 2023.
Protests spread across major cities and remote areas. Angered PTI workers clashed with law enforcement. Authorities in Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad called in the army to restore order.
Protesters attacked army installations, including the Corps Commander’s house in Lahore. Officials have named PTI’s founder as the main accused in all May 9 riot cases.
