Open trial of the May 9 riots cases in Kot Lakhpat Jail has been allowed by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore. Giving approval to plea of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the the anti-terrorism court allowed the presence of lawyers, families of the accused and limited number of journalists inside the courtroom. Earlier, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) declared PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi guilty in seven cases, including terrorism and the May 9 riots Qureshi was found guilty due to contradictory statements and evidence against him, police said. Police stated that the PTI leader failed to provide satisfactory answers regarding the May 9 events and was found involved in vandalism incidents, which was also proved with digital evidence. The JIT interrogated Qureshi at Adiala Jail and recorded his statement three times. The police have now filed a charge sheet in court declaring Qureshi guilty in all seven cases.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan