ISLAMABAD: The military courts on Saturday sentenced 25 accused involved in the May 9 riots cases.
According to the Public Relations Department of the Pakistan Army (ISPR), military courts have sentenced 25 accused involved in attacks on military installations including its headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Among the convicted, those involved in the attack on Jinnah House, including Jan Muhammad Khan, Muhammad Imran Mehboob, Raja Ehsan, Abdul Hadi, Ali Shan, and Dawood Khan, have each been sentenced to 10 years.
Faheem Haider and Muhammad Hasher, also involved in the Jinnah House attack, received 6-year sentences, while Muhammad Ashiq was sentenced to 4 years.
The ISPR statement read that Rehmatullah, who participated in the attack on the Punjab Regimental Center in Mardan, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Yasir Nawaz received a 2-year sentence, while Anwar Khan and Babar Jamal, responsible for the attack on the PAF base in Mianwali, were each sentenced to 10 years.
Muhammad Afaq Khan, convicted for his involvement in the Bannu Cantt attack, received 9 years, and Dawood Khan, who participated in the Chakdara Fort attack, was sentenced to 7 years of hard labour.
Other convictions include Zahid Khan, sentenced to 4 years for the Multan Cantt checkpost attack, and Khurram Shahzad, who received 3 years with hard labour. Umar Farooq, involved in the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ), was sentenced to 10 years of hard labour.
The ISPR said that the sentences of other accused will be announced as soon as they complete their legal process. The May 9 sentencing decision is an important milestone in the provision of justice for the nation, while cases against several accused are also pending in various anti-terrorism courts.
The convictions mark a significant step in the pursuit of justice following the politically motivated violence and arson that rocked the country on May 9, it added. The violent incidents of May 9 are a dark chapter in the history of Pakistan.
These sentences serve as a warning to those who may be tempted to take the law into their own hands, it said.
According to the ISPR, true justice will be served when the masterminds and planners of May 9 are punished according to the constitution and law.
The state of Pakistan will ensure the rule of law by providing complete justice in the events of May 9. By providing justice in the May 9 case, the misguided and destructive politics based on violence will be buried.
The violence and destruction incited by political terrorism will not be tolerated.
According to the constitution and law, all convicted criminals have the right to appeal against sentences in the high courts.
