Over 100 convicted in Pakistan for pro-Imran Khan protests
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PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan says the verdicts would be challenged in a higher court, calling them "bad for democracy and the country altogether."
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Supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party chant slogans before starting a rally in Islamabad to demand Khan's release in Peshawar, Pakistan, on November 24, 2024 (AP)
More than 100 people, including top lawmakers, were convicted in Pakistan on Thursday over their alleged roles in the 2023 protests supporting former Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Among those sentenced to 10 years in prison were six members of parliament, a senator, and a provincial lawmaker. Notably, Omar Ayub Khan, the opposition leader in Pakistan’s National Assembly, was among those convicted, despite not being present at the protests.
An anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad found Ayub guilty of abetting violence and conspiring to incite riots and arson during the nationwide unrest that broke out on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest in Islamabad.
'Black day for democracy'
PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said the verdicts would be challenged in a higher court, calling them "bad for democracy and the country altogether."
The convicted officials, who were out on bail during the trial, have not yet been taken into custody.
Former PM Imran Khan, who served from 2018 to 2022, has spent nearly two years in jail on charges he believes are politically driven. His party has faced a sweeping crackdown since, with thousands of supporters arrested and his name largely censored in the media.
London-based PTI spokesperson Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari condemned the ruling, calling it “a black day for democracy.”
"Convicting opposition leaders one after another is not a good omen for any democratic system, and it will seriously damage our already fragile democracy," he said.
