On July 31, 2025, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad sentenced over 100 leaders and workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to jail terms of up to 10 years in connection with the May 9, 2023 riots.

On that day, PTI supporters protesting the arrest of their leader Imran Khan, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations, state-owned buildings and the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence. In the aftermath of these events, thousands of protestors, including party leaders, were arrested.

The Faisalabad ATC ordered the arrest of all those convicted who were not present in the court. These sentences follow a military court’s sentencing on December 21 and 26, 2024 of over 50 PTI leaders and activists for up to 10 years for their involvement in the same May 9 riots.

The ATCs have been hearing the May 9 related cases daily to meet a deadline set by the Supreme Court (SC) for the conclusion of the trials by August 2025. So should we read the Faisalabad ATC’s extra speed in pronouncing sentence on over 100 leaders and workers of the PTI purely the result of the SC’s deadline? That may be too naïve.

Consider. The PTI, despite the ‘decapitation’ of a considerable weight of its leadership........

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