CHICHAWATNI/RAWALPINDI (News Desk) – In a major legal development, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi has sentenced 47 absconding suspects, including prominent PTI leaders and former MNAs from Chichawatni, Rai Hasan Nawaz and Rai Murtaza Iqbal, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the May 9 GHQ attack case.
The verdict, announced on March 7, 2026, by ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah, marks a significant moment in the ongoing legal proceedings following the 2023 riots.
Court Verdict and Penalties
The court found the accused guilty of involvement in the conspiracy and attacks on military installations, including the GHQ gate, Hamza Camp, and the Army Museum. Along with the prison terms, the court imposed the following:
Fines: A penalty of Rs. 500,000 on each convict.
Property Seizure: An order to confiscate all movable and immovable properties belonging to the sentenced individuals.
Additional Jail Time: Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional one year of imprisonment.
Other high-profile figures sentenced in absentia include Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Hammad Azhar, and Zulfi Bukhari.
Political Impact in Chichawatni
The sentencing of the “Rai Brothers” has sparked intense discussion in their home constituency. Despite being embroiled in multiple cases following the May 9 incidents, both Rai Hasan Nawaz and Rai Murtaza Iqbal secured landslide victories in the February 8, 2024, General Elections, defeating their PML-N rivals by significant margins.
However, their political journey faced a major hurdle when:
They were disqualified from their seats following earlier convictions related to the riots.
The resulting vacancies allowed PML-N candidates to secure the seats in what PTI supporters have termed “political engineering.”
Current Situation
The PTI leadership in the Sahiwal district remains largely incarcerated or declared fugitives, as the current political climate continues to be dominated by what critics describe as “retributive politics.” The party has rejected the ATC’s decision, calling it a “mockery of justice” and maintaining that the leadership was not present at the sites of the riots.