An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Saturday sentenced four senior leaders of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to 10 years in prison for their role in the May 9, 2023 riots, while acquitting former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and 11 others due to insufficient evidence.Judge Manzar Ali Gill of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore delivered the verdict in a case related to attacks on police vehicles in the Mughalpura area of the city during the nationwide unrest following Khan’s arrest in May 2023.Former Punjab Governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, former Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, former Punjab Minister Mian Mahmudur Rashid and former Senator Ijaz Chaudhary were convicted for their involvement in attacking and setting fire to police vehicles. All four have been lodged in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail since 2023 and have previously been convicted in other riot-related cases.However, the court acquitted Qureshi and 11 PTI workers, saying there was not enough evidence to support the charges against them. Qureshi is in jail in connection with several other cases and has been in custody since 2023.PTI rejected the verdict, calling the case a fabrication and questioning the fairness of the judicial process.In a statement issued after the verdict, the party said the verdict raises deep concerns about due process, judicial impartiality and the integrity of the proceedings.“Many persons implicated in May 9 related cases were not present in Pakistan at the time of the alleged incidents,” PTI said.“Such glaring discrepancies raise serious doubts about the credibility of the broader legal process surrounding these cases,” the statement said.The party further argued that the accused were denied the guarantee of a “free and fair trial”, alleging that the proceedings took place in an environment of “political pressure, restricted access, prolonged detention and repeated violations of fundamental legal rights”.The party claimed, “The result appears to be less an exercise of justice and more a continuation of a systematic campaign to punish political opponents through the courts.”PTI said it would challenge the decision through all available legal and constitutional means.The case stems from violent protests across Pakistan on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of former cricketer-turned-politician Khan. Protesters targeted dozens of military installations and state-owned buildings, especially in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Khan, 73, is lodged in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail since August 2023 and is facing several legal cases. The former Prime Minister and his party have consistently maintained that the cases against PTI leaders are politically motivated.