Pakistan: 82 PTI workers sentenced to 4 months in prison

Islamabad: A Pakistan anti-terrorism court on Friday sentenced 82 workers of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to four months in prison for staging a violent protest last year.

More than 1,500 PTI supporters were arrested after staging protests on November 26 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to pressurise the government to release the party founder Khan who has been in jail since August 2023.

After a trial, the Rawalpindi-based court convicted 82 accused, sentencing each to a four-month imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 15,000.

All the accused confessed their crime before the judge and submitted an affidavit stating that the PTI leadership incited them to protest.

In their written statements, the accused assured the court that they would not participate in any future protests.

The protest launched on November 26 ended abruptly on the third day when police stormed the rally and arrested dozens of demonstrators.

Out of those arrested, 1,609 were presented in court and 560 of them were indicted.

Separately, the Supreme Court granted bail to PTI leaders Ejaz Chaudhry and Farhat Abbas who were arrested for their involvement in the May 9 protest cases of 2023. The two were asked to submit surety bonds worth Rs 100,000 each in the trial court.

Still, dozens of PTI workers are behind bars facing trial for their role in various protests. Party leader Khan has been incarcerated with his wife Bushra Bibi in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi after the two were convicted in the Al-Qadir Trust case in January this year.