Lahore ATC charges PTI Punjab leader in May 9 riots case
LAHORE: An Anti-Terror Court (ATC) on Tuesday framed charges against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhary and Rubina Jameel in the May 9 riots case.
However, the accused pleaded not guilty in the case and remained behind bars for several months after the country witnessed one of the most violent riots in history following the arrest of PTI leader Imran Khan in a £190 million corruption case.
The ATC has now asked the witnesses in the case to record their statements on December 16 while copies of the challan were distributed among the accused in the previous hearing.
All three accused were booked in two cases at Sarwar Road police station in Lahore.
It should be noted that the ATC has remanded Dr. Rashid extended and handed them over to the Punjab Police by November 27, in a case related to the provocative speeches made against state institutions at Sherpao Bridge in Lahore on May 9.
After the riots and a series of arrests that followed, Khan was released in the Toshkhana case, but many of his party’s leaders, workers and supporters remained behind bars or were repeatedly rearrested in several cases registered against them.
Currently, the PTI chief and his party’s deputy leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi are in custody in the cipher case, while other leaders remain in custody pending trials in cases related to the violence that took place on May 9 various courts in the country.
Riots on May 9th
The May 9 riots were sparked across most of the country after ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested in a £190 million settlement case. Hundreds of PTI workers and senior leaders were put behind bars for their involvement in violence and attacks on military installations.
During the protests, the miscreants attacked civilian and military installations including Jinnah House and General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The military designated May 9 as “Black Day” and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act.
