Islamabad [Pakistan], August 2 (ANI): An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Sargodha has sentenced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Muhammad Ismail to rigorous life imprisonment for his role in the May 9, 2023 riots, which included an attack on a judicial complex in Mianwali, Dawn reported.

The verdict, issued on Friday by Judge Muhammad Naeem Sheikh, also declared 50 others--including senior PTI leaders and sitting lawmakers--as proclaimed offenders. Among those named are former Punjab opposition leader Ahmad Khan Bhachar and MNAs Ahmad Chatha and Bilal Ijaz, Dawn stated.

The court directed the Mianwali police chief to arrest all 51 fugitives within a month and produce them before the court.

According to Dawn, the court convicted Ismail under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act, handing down three life terms, an additional 15 years of rigorous imprisonment, and fines exceeding Rs 3.5 million. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his property.

Three separate FIRs had been registered at City Police Station, Mianwali, accusing hundreds of PTI leaders and workers of rioting, attacking a Pakistan Air Force base, torching public property, and setting fire to court records. Most parliamentarians and workers were added to the FIRs months after the incidents.

Malik Shafqat Abbas Awan, a PTI MNA and counsel for one of the accused, slammed the ruling. 'A black spot on the face of the judiciary,' he said, alleging that Ismail had already been acquitted in two related cases and that the court relied on evidence 'already been rejected.'

In a related development, Dawn reported that an ATC in Rawalpindi issued arrest warrants for 18 senior PTI leaders in connection with a protest held on November 26, 2024, in Wah Cantt.

Those named include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur; Aleema Khan, sister of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan; former federal minister Sheikh Waqas Akram; former provincial minister Ijaz Khan Jazi; and former MNA Kanwal Shozab.

The court directed the police to arrest the accused and produce them by August 8. It also summoned the investigating officer with the complete case record.

Prosecutors argued that the accused were 'deliberately evading arrest and ignoring repeated court summons, thereby obstructing the legal proceedings.'

Prosecutor Zaheer Abbas told the court that their continued absence was 'affecting the judicial process and undermining the rule of law.'

The court also heard an application seeking cancellation of bail for 68 accused in a related case. Notices were issued to their sureties, and proceedings were adjourned until August 5.

The court warned that legal action would be initiated not only against absconding individuals but also against those who had furnished their bail sureties if the accused failed to appear. (ANI)