Jailed PTI leaders appeal to CJP for early hearing of May 9 conviction appeals

Several senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), currently imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat Jail, have appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi to ensure the early hearing of their appeals against their convictions.

In a letter dispatched to Afridi from jail, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed and Ejaz Chaudhry urged the chief justice to direct the high court to fix their appeals for hearing at the earliest, stating that they are being deprived of their constitutional and legal right to a timely hearing.

The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had sentenced them in July 2025 in cases related to the May 9 incidents. The PTI leaders said they have been imprisoned for the past 34 months and had filed appeals against their convictions, but the appeals have not been heard for the last eight months.

They further stated that their lawyers had submitted applications three months ago seeking an early hearing of the appeals, yet no proceedings have taken place so far.

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“We are law-abiding citizens who respect the law of Pakistan and have served the country to the best of our abilities,” the letter stated, adding that they are only demanding their constitutional right.

The PTI leaders also reminded Afridi that directions had previously been issued for the ATCs to decide May 9 cases expeditiously, and requested that similar instructions be given for the prompt hearing and decision of their appeals.

The cases in question stemmed from alleged vandalism and other offenses during PTI's nationwide demonstrations on May 9, 2023.

On March 7, an ATC in Rawalpindi delivered a verdict in the May 9 General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case, sentencing 47 proclaimed offenders, including PTI figures, to 10 years imprisonment each, along with a fine of Rs500,000 per convict and the confiscation of their movable and immovable properties.

Among the convicted PTI figures were Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Murad Saeed, Zartaj Gul, Hammad Azhar, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Ejaz Khan Jazi, Shaukat Ali Bhatti, Usman Saeed Basra, Muhammad Ahmad Chattha, Rai Hassan Nawaz, and Rai Muhammad Murtaza, among others.

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Further, an ATC was told on March 11 that police wanted to nominate Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi as accused in a case related to an attack on Radio Pakistan in Peshawar on May 9, 2023 but the prosecution was creating hurdles.

The counsel for Radio Pakistan informed the court that the investigating officer intended to submit a supplementary challan, which included the names of CM Afridi, former provincial ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Kamran Bangash, PTI Peshawar President Irfan Saleem and party worker Amir Chamkani.

The petition contended that the district public prosecutor was delaying the case and requested the court to direct the relevant authorities to submit the challan and proceed in accordance with the law.