An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad has sentenced YouTuber Adil Raja and six other prominent media figures to two life terms each in connection with cases related to the violent unrest that occurred across the country on May 9, 2023.
The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra after the conclusion of trials conducted in absentia.
Those convicted include journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai, anchorperson Haider Raza Mehdi, political analyst Moeed Pirzada, and former army officer Akbar Hussain.
The cases stem from the nationwide riots that erupted following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, during which several government and military installations were attacked and vandalised.
According to the prosecution, the accused individuals were involved in what was described as “digital terrorism against state institutions.”
Authorities alleged that the convicts used online platforms and social media channels to incite, encourage, and amplify attacks on state institutions during the May 9 disturbances. Based on these allegations, cases were registered under anti-terrorism and penal laws.
The court imposed two separate life sentences on each convict for waging, or attempting to wage, war against Pakistan and for criminal conspiracy. In addition to imprisonment, fines of Rs500,000 were imposed for each of these two offences. The court also sentenced the convicts to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with conspiracy related to offences of waging war against the state, along with a fine of Rs200,000.
Furthermore, another 10-year rigorous imprisonment term and a Rs200,000 fine were awarded under Section 131 of the PPC, which concerns abetment of mutiny or attempts to undermine the loyalty of armed forces personnel.
The convicts were also handed three separate five-year sentences under various provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, with additional fines of Rs200,000 for each offence.
The court ruled that all sentences would run concurrently and granted the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure, allowing any prior detention period to be counted toward the sentence. However, it was noted that failure to pay the imposed fines would result in an additional six months of imprisonment for each unpaid amount.
The cases against Raja, Khan, Sehbai, and Mehdi were registered at Ramna police station, while those against Shakir, Hussain, and Pirzada were filed at Aabpara police station. Copies of the detailed court orders are available with Dawn.