ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in the federal capital on Friday awarded multiple life sentences to Adil Raja, Haider Mehdi, Wajahat Saeed, Sabir Shakir and Moeed Pirzada for committing what it termed “digital terrorism” in connection with the May 9, 2023 riots.
The verdict was announced by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra in cases registered at Aabpara and Ramna police stations. Apart from life imprisonment, the court also awarded an additional 35 years’ jail under other provisions of law and imposed a collective fine of Rs1.5 million.
According to the judgment, cases at Aabpara police station were registered against Syed Akbar Hussain, Shakir and Pirzada, while separate cases at Ramna police station involved Mehdi, Saeed and Shaheen Sehbai.
During the proceedings, the prosecution, represented by Raja Naveed Hussain Kiani, produced 24 witnesses. The trial was conducted in absentia after the accused failed to appear before the court or join the investigation. Advocate Gulfam Goraya was appointed by the court as defence counsel for the convicts.
The court noted that all the accused were currently abroad and were declared proclaimed offenders after they could not be traced at their residences. It observed that trials in absentia were permissible under law, adding that even UK legislation allowed such proceedings in certain cases.
In its detailed verdicts, the court said the accused used vlogs and social media posts to incite the public against the government and the Pakistan Army, encouraging protests that led to attacks on military and government installations following the arrest of the PTI founder on May 9, 2023.
The judgment stated that Shakir sent messages to protesters demanding that a political figure be produced before court and levelled serious allegations against military officers. Pirzada was found to have encouraged attacks on state buildings and claimed protests were the only way to secure the release of a political leader.
The court said Adil Raja alleged that courts and the army were being blackmailed, while Saeed promoted civil disobedience and hinted at attacks on government institutions through social media posts.
“According to the evidence, the accused conspired to incite the public in the incidents of May 9 and 10,” the verdict read, adding that video and digital evidence was sufficient to establish guilt.
The judgment comes days after the federal cabinet declared Raja a proscribed person under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. Raja and Mehdi, both retired army officers, were previously convicted under the Army Act in 2023 for violations related to the Official Secrets Act.