An Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has handed down two life sentences each to YouTuber Adil Raja, journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai, anchorperson Haider Raza Mehdi, analyst Moeed Pirzada and former army official Akbar Hussain in cases linked to the riots that erupted across the country on May 9, 2023.
The unrest, during which government and military installations were vandalised, broke out after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.
Prosecutors accused the convicted individuals of engaging in what was described as “digital terrorism against state institutions,” alleging that they used online platforms to incite, facilitate and amplify attacks during the May 9 violence.
The reserved verdicts were announced on Friday by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra after the conclusion of trials conducted in absentia.
The proceedings were held in the absence of the accused at the prosecution’s request, invoking relevant provisions of anti-terrorism laws.
Court orders issued by Judge Sipra show that cases against Raja, Khan, Sehbai and Mehdi were registered at Islamabad’s Ramna police station, while cases against Shakir, Hussain and Pirzada were registered at the Islamabad’s Aabpara police station.
The court awarded rigorous life imprisonment on two counts: waging or attempting to wage war against Pakistan and criminal conspiracy and imposed fines of Rs500,000 for each offence.
The convicts were also sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs200,000 under Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with conspiracy related to offences punishable under Section 121.
They were also sentenced to an additional 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 200,000 under Section 131 of the PPC, which pertains to abetting mutiny or attempting to seduce members of the armed forces from their duty.
In accordance with the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, the court also imposed three separate five-year harsh imprisonment sentences together with fines of Rs. 200,000 for each count.
The orders stated that failure to pay any of the imposed fines would result in an additional six months of imprisonment. The court also extended the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure, allowing any period of detention to be counted toward the sentence, and directed that all sentences would run concurrently.
Each order informed the convicts of their right to file an appeal before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) within seven days. The court also authorised the relevant station house officers to arrest the convicts upon their availability and send them to jail to serve their sentences.
During the trials, the prosecution produced 24 witnesses. Public prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain Kayani represented the state, while Advocate Gulfam Ashraf Goraiya appeared on behalf of the accused. Records show that Goraiya was appointed as defence counsel by the court.
A detailed written judgement is yet to be issued and is expected to outline the evidentiary basis and legal reasoning behind the convictions and sentences.
The cases against the seven individuals were registered in 2023. Shakir, Pirzada and Hussain were booked by Islamabad police on charges of sedition and terrorism over their alleged role in violence and vandalism following Imran Khan’s arrest.
Raja, Khan, Sehbai and Mehdi were similarly charged for abetting mutiny and allegedly inciting attacks on military installations on May 9.