An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad sentenced on Monday senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and 57 others each to 10 years in prison in the May 9 case about an attack on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah’s residence.
Of the 59 persons convicted in the case, 17 were PTI leaders. Sixteen other accused were also convicted and sentenced to three years in prison each. The latter group included MPA Sheikh Shahid Javed of PP-115.
Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry and PTI lawmaker Zain Qureshi were acquitted.
The case was part of a series of trials relating to the violent unrest that erupted during protests against the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan from Islamabad High Court premises on May 9, 2023.
On July 31, ATC in Faislabad sentenced top Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to up to 10 years in prison in cases on the May 9 protests
Opposition leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub, opposition leader in Senate Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul, MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza and former MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq were among the 108 PTI leaders convicted out of the 185 implicated in the cases while 77 others were acquitted.
Read: PTI’s Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz sentenced to up to 10 years in May 9 cases
Around 60 of those convicted, including Faraz, Ayub, Gul and Raza were sentenced to 10 years in prison each while other convicts were each handed prison terms of three years.
Meanwhile, Fawad Chaudhry was acquitted along with Zain Qureshi, Khayal Kastro, Faizullah Kamoka, Rana Asad Mehmood Khan, Bilal Ashraf Basra, Haroon Rasheed, Amara Rasheed, Sahibzada Hassan Raza, and Kamran Warraich.
Shafiq was absent from court during the hearing and did not appear. He has reportedly gone into hiding to avoid arrest.
Earlier, the Supreme Court granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan on the principle of consistency in eight cases linked to the May 9 riots, overturning an earlier Lahore High Court ruling that had refused him bail.
Read more: Supreme Court grants Imran Khan bail in eight May 9 cases
“The case of the petitioner has to be positively considered in view of the principle of consistency, as others similarly placed have been granted bail by this Court,” said the four-page order authored by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi.
The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Afridi, allowed Khan’s petitions against the June 24 decision of the Lahore High Court. The cases stemmed from multiple FIRs registered in Lahore after violent protests that followed Khan’s arrest.
The first meeting of the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) will be held on August 29, with Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presiding as the Chairman of the NFC.
According to sources, invitations have been sent to all members of the commission to attend the session.
The meeting will focus on a three-point agenda, including a review of recommendations for the NFC Award, formation of sub-groups and developing a roadmap.
The National Finance Commission comprises nine members, with the Federal Finance Minister designated as its head.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad, while delivering its verdict in the case related to the attack on Special Assistant to Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah’s house during May 9 riots, sentenced 59 accused, including former opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, former opposition leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Zartaj Gul, to 10 years in prison each.
Whereas, the ATC has acquitted former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry and Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s son Zain Qureshi in the same case.
The case of the attack on Sanaullah’s house in Faisalabad on May 9, 2023, was heard in the ATC.
In addition, ex-MPA Farah Agha, ex-MNA Kanwal Shauzab, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, ex-MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, ex-MPA Rai Murtaza Iqbal and Ismail Sila have also been sentenced to 10 years in prison each. The court has sentenced Sheikh Rashid Javed and 15 other activists to 3 years in prison each.
May 9 riots: Punjab Assembly opposition leader, PTI MNA sentenced to jail
The court convicted total 75 of the 109 defendants in the case, in their absence.
It should be recalled that on May 9, four cases were registered in Faisalabad for arson, encirclement and vandalism, out of which the verdicts in 3 were announced earlier.
The fourth case was registered at Samanabad police station for the attack and vandalism of Sanaullah’s house, in which 109 people, including the central leadership of PTI, were named.
The fresh court judgement adds to the embattled PTI’s legal and political woes that started following the May 9 violent incidents during which military installations including Rawalpindi’s General Headquarters (GHQ) were vandalised by the party supporters upon former prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest in a case on May 9, 2023.
Leaders and supporters of embattled PTI have been facing different charges in numerous cases related to the May 9 incidents, since the violent protests and clashes broke out across Pakistan.
ECP disqualifies several PTI lawmakers including Shibli Faraz, Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul
The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their chairman’s arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order.
Earlier, announcing verdict in three different cases related to the May 9 riots, an ATC in Faisalabad on July 31 sentenced over 100 PTI leaders and supporters including Omar, Shibli, Zartaj and Sahibzada Hamid.
The court had announced its verdict in cases filed against 185 workers and leaders of the former ruling party. According to the judgement, 58 accused including the central leadership had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment over terrorism charges, while 77 suspects, including some leaders, had been acquitted.
MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Ayub, Gul and Faraz were sentenced to 10 years in prison each and MPA Junaid Akbar Sahi was sentenced to three years imprisonment. Whereas, the ATC had vindicated former Fawad, Khayal Ahmad Kastro and Zain, in the case pertaining to attack on Ghulam Muhammadabad police station, over “insufficient evidence”.
A Faisalabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday sentenced key PTI leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Zartaj Gul, along with 56 others, to 10 years in jail and acquitted 34 in the case of an attack on former interior minister Rana Sanaullah’s house during the May 9, 2023 riots.
On May 9, 2023, military installations and state-owned buildings were vandalised as PTI supporters protested the arrest of ex-premier Imran Khan, who was released later but has been imprisoned in various cases since August 2023. Following the riots, thousands of protesters, including the party’s top leadership, were arrested.
Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh presided over today’s hearing of the case registered at the Samanabad police on May 9, 2023.
PTI legal team head Malik Khalid Shafiq confirmed the convictions to Dawn.com. He said that out of the total 109 accused, 59 were handed 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and 16 were given three years’ jail time.
Ayub, Faraz and Gul, as well as Muhammad Ahmad Chattha, were recently disqualified from their parliamentary seats following their convictions in other May 9 cases.
Other PTI leaders included Sheikh Rashid Shafique (nephew of former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed), Ashraf Khan Sohna, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Murtaza Iqbal, former MNA Kanwal Shauzab and former Punjab MPA Farah Agha. They were also convicted in other May 9 cases on July 31.
Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who quit PTI in the wake of the May 9 incidents, and MNA Zain Qureshi (son of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi) were among those freed of the charges today.
Fawad and Zain had also been acquitted in three other Faisalabad cases pertaining to the May 9 riots.
PTI parliamentarians convicted would face automatic disqualification under Article 63(1)(g) of the Constitution, which bars members convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude or corrupt practices.
Reacting to the court verdict, Gul said on X that she was innocent.
She contended that the verdict was based on the argument that she was present in a meeting held at Imran’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore on May 7, 2023, where plans for the protest were reportedly made.
However, according to Gul, she was present in her Dera Ghazi Khan constituency on that day, attending a “fateha, inauguration, wedding and other events”. She also shared screengrabs of social media posts that showed her activities that day, adding that she had presented this evidence in court.
The deadline given to ATCs to decide various May 9 cases had already passed earlier this month. Therefore, day-to-day hearings were being held in the case, according to PTI lawyer Shafiq.
Last week, the Kasur Crime Control Department (CCD) presented former Faisalabad Civil Lines station house officer Zeeshan Khalid Randhawa as a witness during the trial. The former SHO was already under arrest in a separate kidnap and murder case of a Kasur resident.
A joint investigation team probing the case had been summoned by an ATC in July 2024 to submit the charge sheet.
Sentences against opposition pile up
Today’s convictions are the latest in a slew of ATC sentences, wherein over 100 PTI leaders and workers have been handed lengthy jail terms.
On July 22, a Lahore ATC had handed Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and other PTI leaders 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a case related to vandalism at Sherpao Bridge. However, incarcerated Shah Mahmood Qureshi and five others were acquitted.
The same day, a Sargodha ATC had sentenced as many as 32 accused, including then-Punjab Assembly opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar, in a case registered at the Musakhel police station.
On July 31, a Faisalabad ATC had sentenced over 100 PTI leaders and workers to up to 10 years’ imprisonment in three cases. Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul and Sunni Ittehad Council chief Hamid Raza were among key opposition leaders handed 10 years’ jail time.
In one case, 60 out of 67 accused were convicted, while seven were acquitted. In another case, 107 out of 108 accused were sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, while one person received a three-year sentence and 77 were acquitted.
On August 1, a Sargodha ATC sentenced PTI worker Muhammad Ismail to rigorous life imprisonment in May 9 cases related to an attack on the judicial complex in Mianwali and declared 50 others as proclaimed offenders.
Pakistan issues flood warnings for Ravi, Sutlej rivers as monsoon death toll nears 800
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani disaster management authorities on Monday issued fresh flood warnings for two major rivers as heavy monsoon rains continue to batter the country, with the death toll from weather-related incidents since late June climbing close to 800.
The most devastating spell of the monsoon began on August 15 and has killed at least 485 people in just 10 days. Since the start of the season on June 26, official figures show 798 deaths, underscoring the scale of the disaster in a country ranked among the most climate-vulnerable in the world.
“NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) has issued a flood alert for River Ravi over the next 48 hours, indicating a medium-level threat,” the authority said in its latest alert on Monday.
According to hydrological data, inflows at Thein Dam on the Indian side have reached 1,717 feet, or about 86 percent of its capacity.
“Downstream releases from Thein Dam, combined with rising nullah discharges on the Indian side, are likely to further elevate river flows,” the NDMA said.
Members of the Rescue 1122 team sit on a boat with the monsoon rain clouds in the background, as they are waiting for residents to evacuate, due to the monsoon rains and rising water level of the Sutlej River, in Ghatti Kalanjar village near the Pakistan-India border in Kasur district of the Punjab province, Pakistan, on August 24, 2025. (REUTERS)
Medium to high flows are expected in nullahs originating from the Pir Panjal Range, particularly Bein, Basantar and Deg, with low to medium flooding likely at Jassar in the next 24 hours.
Residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas have been urged to remain alert, avoid unnecessary travel near riverbanks and strictly follow official flood warnings. The NDMA advised communities to prepare emergency kits with food, water and medical supplies for up to five days, secure valuables and livestock, and avoid crossing causeways, low bridges and flooded roads.
Separately, the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported a high flood in the Sutlej River at Harike, downstream of India.
“River Sutlej (Harike below) has been reported to be at high flood level at 10:00 hrs (25th August, 2025) which will affect the incoming water levels downstream,” the PDMA said in its flood alert.
Authorities in Punjab have directed commissioners and deputy commissioners in multiple districts, including Lahore, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan, to remain on high alert. PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia instructed local administrations to complete emergency preparations, pre-position rescue teams at sensitive locations, and issue community warnings through mosques and local announcements.
The PDMA has said the province was experiencing its eighth monsoon spell, expected to last until August 27. Heavy rains have been forecast in the next 24 hours across most districts, with upper Punjab, including Murree, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal, likely to receive the heaviest downpours.
The PDMA reported no casualties or damages in the past 24 hours but directed district administrations in vulnerable areas to remain on high alert. Citizens were urged to adopt safety measures during the rains, especially keeping children away from rivers, canals and storm drains.
Separately, the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) said on Sunday that the Chenab and Indus rivers were likely to reach high flood levels in the next 24 hours, while the Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala would remain at high flood levels for several days, depending on releases from Indian reservoirs.
Residents stand at the premises of their house flooded due to the monsoon rains and rising water level of the Sutlej River, in Hakuwala village near the Pakistan-India border in Kasur district of the Punjab province, Pakistan, on August 23, 2025. (REUTERS)
SHIFTING CLIMATE PATTERNS
Since the monsoon season started on June 26, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has reported 479 deaths, followed by Punjab with 165, Sindh 54, Gilgit-Baltistan 45, Balochistan 24, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 23 and the capital, Islamabad, eight, according to official figures.
Authorities say the ongoing monsoon spell is expected to last until at least September 10 and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned the rains could rival the scale of the catastrophic floods of June 2022, which killed more than 1,700 people and caused over $30 billion in damage, according to government estimates.
“During 25th August: Landslides/mudslides may cause road closures in vulnerable hilly areas of Kashmir during the forecast period,” the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said in its daily forecast on Monday morning.
“Heavy downpour may cause urban flood in low lying areas of Narowal, Sialkot, Gujarat, Jhelum, Gujranwala and Lahore.”
The PMD also cautioned that heavy rain, windstorms and lightning could damage weak structures such as the roofs of mud houses, electric poles, billboards, vehicles and solar panels.
Annual monsoon rains are crucial for Pakistan’s agriculture and water supply but in recent years have also unleashed devastation, intensified by shifting climate patterns.
Despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan ranks among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In recent years it has endured increasingly erratic weather, including droughts, heatwaves and record-breaking rains that have caused widespread loss of life and damage to property.
Experts warn that without urgent adaptation and mitigation measures, the human and economic toll of climate change in Pakistan will only deepen in the years ahead.
Pakistan and Bangladesh vowed to spur efforts to increase bilateral trade, investment and connectivity after the first visit by Pakistan’s chief diplomat in 13 years.
The two South Asian nations, which separated more than half a century ago after a deadly civil war, lifted the visa restrictions for their diplomats and government officials, while Pakistan offered 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students in the next five years, according to a statement by the foreign ministry in Islamabad.
FAISALABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday handed prison sentences of up to 10 years each to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul and others over their involvement in attack on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah’s residence during the May 9 riots in 2023.
The court, while announcing its verdict in a case registered at the Samanabad Police Station, sentenced a total of 75 people out of the total 109 accused and acquitted 34 others.
Out of those sentenced, 59 were given 10-year imprisonment including Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Rai Murtaza Iqbal, Farah Afgha, Kanwal Shauzab, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Ahmad Chattha, Ansar Iqbal, Bilal Ijaz, Ashraf Sohna, Mehr Javed, Shakeel Niazi and others.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Rashid Javed and other PTI workers were given a three-year prison sentence.
The development adds to the mounting legal woes faced by the Imran Khan-founded PTI, which has seen scores of leaders getting prison sentences over the May 9 riots while several others, including the former prime minister, remain behind bars in a plethora of cases.
Earlier this month, an ATC in Lahore sentenced PTI’s Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, and several others to 10 years in prison.
Also, the court, in the Jinnah House case, sentenced Rashid, Cheema, Chaudhry, Rasheed, Ayesha Ali Bhutta, Muhammad Fahim, Niaz Ahmed, Ali Hasan, Zain Ali, Asad Ali, Bilal Wajahat, Bilal Bashir, Muhammad Qasim, and Zain ul Hassan to 10 years each in prison.
However, the ATC exonerated Shah Mahmood Qureshi Sohail Khan, Muhammad Owais, Rafiuddin, Farid Khan, Salman Ahmed, Abdul Qadir, Faizan, Tayyab Sultan, Shahid Baig and Majid Ali.
Last week, PTI founder’s nephews Shershah and Shahrez — sons of Aleema Khan — were arrested over their alleged involvement in the May 9 riots.
May 9 riots
Thousands of supporters of Imran Khan stormed public property and military installations, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore, on May 9, 2023, in protest against the former premier’s arrest.
The riots erupted after the PTI founder was taken into custody from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a graft case.
During the unrest, the supporters of Khan — the only prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be ousted via a no-confidence vote — targeted civil and military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
Several PTI leaders and workers were released on bail after their arrests, while many remain behind bars.
