Hailing it as a "positive step", the federal government on Tuesday welcomed a trial court's decision to convict a number of PTI leaders including Punjab Assembly Leader of Opposition Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar in the May 9 rioting cases.
"Today, the Sargodha ATC issued an order and we welcome it ... I think it is a very positive step as justice has been upheld," Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik said on Monday while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.
He said the verdict "fulfils all requirements of justice" and followed due process since the entire trial proceedings were carried out legally. "The decision announced is in accordance with the law and the Constitution," Malik said.
"When you take the law into your own hand, whether you're an MNA or MPA or opposition leader ... the [status] doesn't matter, as the law is equal for everyone and will come into force."
Responding to the verdict, Bhachar wrote on X that he will not leave "the leader of Umat-e-Muslima and son of Mianwali the Prime Minister Imran Khan" no matter what.
Other PTI leaders also condemned the verdicts as a mockery of justice.
Deputy leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Muhammad Moeen Ud Din Riaz Qureshi, termed the ATC verdicts a "black day for democracy" He said lawmakers including Bhachar of the largest province were unlawfully sentenced relying upon fabricated evidence and witnesses.
"Every child in Pakistan knows well about the fate of these cases. Public is fully aware about the court's conduct. The PTI will challenge the decision of the ATC in appellate court. Bhachar was the opposition leader and he will remain the opposition leader," he said.
PTI's chief whip in the Punjab Assembly, Rana Shahbaz Ahmad, said such verdicts won't force them to bow, as they stood for a cause and the nation's future.
"If such decisions persist, there is no doubt 80% of PTI lawmakers will be sentenced — despite having no link to the FIR offences," he said.
He demanded that the government constitute a committee for reviewing the forged cases registered across Punjab against PTI leaders, workers and supporters.
Another lawmaker Waqas Maan criticized the ATC's verdict, calling it nothing short of a "funeral of justice." He warned the government against sidelining the opposition, reminding it that it might face a similar situation in future.
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