An Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court on Friday handed down multiple life sentences to a group of journalists, analysts, and former military officials in connection with the May 9, 2023, riots that followed the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The ATC, presided over by Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, convicted YouTuber Adil Raja, journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir, and Shaheen Sehbai, anchorperson Haider Raza Mehdi, analyst Moeed Pirzada, and former army official Syed Akbar Hussain. The court ruled that the convicts had committed “digital terrorism” and conspired against state institutions.
The cases were registered at Islamabad’s Ramna and Aabpara police stations. Raja, Khan, Sehbai, and Mehdi faced charges in cases filed at Ramna, while Shakir, Hussain, and Pirzada were tried under cases registered at Aabpara. Trials were conducted in absentia at the request of the prosecution, which presented 24 witnesses during the hearings. Advocate Gulfam Goraya represented the convicts, having been appointed by the court.
The court sentenced the convicts to rigorous life imprisonment on two counts—waging or attempting to wage war against Pakistan and criminal conspiracy. In addition, they were ordered to pay Rs500,000 in fines for each count. Further, the court imposed 10-year sentences and fines of Rs200,000 each under Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code for conspiring to commit offences punishable under Section 121. They were also penalised under Section 131 of the PPC for abetting mutiny, receiving another 10-year sentence and a Rs200,000 fine.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, the convicts were handed three five-year sentences with corresponding fines of Rs200,000 each. The court ruled that failure to pay any fines would extend imprisonment by six months per offence. The total fines imposed amount to Rs 1.5 million, alongside additional prison terms totalling 35 years.
The verdict comes shortly after the federal cabinet declared Adil Raja, a former Pakistan Army major now based in the United Kingdom, a proscribed individual under Section 11[EE] of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Raja had previously been convicted under the Army Act for violating the Official Secrets Act, alongside Captain (retd) Haider Raza Mehdi.
The May 9 riots, which saw vandalism of government and military installations, marked one of Pakistan’s most violent post-political-arrest episodes in recent years. The ATC judgment highlights the state’s efforts to curb what authorities have described as digital and ideological threats against national institutions.
This is a developing story, and updates will follow as more details emerge.