Lahore High Court upholds sentences of PTI leaders in May 9 cases

The Lahore High Court (LHC) Tuesday dismissed petitions seeking suspension of sentences filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Ijaz Chaudhry and Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed, who were previously sentenced to ten years in prison in connection with the May 9 unrest cases, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi had reserved its verdict on the petitions after hearing final arguments from both sides. The court later announced its decision, rejecting the pleas of both leaders and denying them relief.

During the proceedings, Assistant Advocate General Muhammad Farrukh Khan Lodhi represented the Punjab government, while Special Prosecutor Munir Ahmed Bhatti and counsel for the accused presented their concluding arguments before the bench.

The convictions stem from cases heard by an anti-terrorism court related to the May 9 incidents, in which both PTI leaders were handed ten-year prison sentences. Alongside their petitions for suspension, the two leaders have also filed appeals challenging their convictions.

In a related development, the court accepted the plea for suspension of sentence filed by PTI leader Afzaal Pahit, granting him relief in the same set of cases.