Islamabad [Pakistan], June 24: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General, Omar Ayub Khan and other party leaders in May 9 cases as police failed to present the record of four cases and witnesses in court, reported ARY News.
According to the details, the court heard the case against PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Azam Swati, Zartaj Gul, Zain Qureshi and former party leader Fawad Chaudhry. The police failed to present the records of four cases and witnesses in court, on which the judge expressed annoyance with the investigation officer.
The court granted bail to all the defendants due to a lack of evidence against them, as reported by ARY News. The Anti-Terrorism Court delivered its verdict against the 51 accused in the May 9 riots cases in March.
Judge Natasha Naseem Supra of the ATC Court heard the case and mentioned the charges against each of the accused, who were identified as workers affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The judge further sentenced each of the 51 defendants to five years of imprisonment under various provisions. However, last month, while responding to critics targeting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for planning and executing May 9 protests, Omar Ayub Khan, called the incident "a conspiracy to target party founder Imran Khan," Geo News reported.
The May 9 events refer to violent protests that erupted after PTI founder Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of Islamabad High Court in a corruption case in 2023.
The protests were held in remote and major cities of Pakistan as the party workers were furious due to their chairman's arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order, reported ARY News.
Moreover, army installations, including the Corps Commander's house in Lahore, also came under attack during the protests by PTI workers.
Notably, PTI founder Imran Khan has been named as the main accused in all the May 9 riots cases, ARY News reported.
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