The Superior Court of Islamabad has suspended the sentences of 10 people convicted in relation to the protests that exploded on May 10, 2023, after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
A division bank comprised of Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Judge Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan ruled in favor of suspending the convictions, giving bail to the convicts to submerge the guarantee bonds by value of RS25,000 each, said Express News.
In November 2024, an anti -terrorism court had sentenced those sentenced to five years and ten months in prison for their alleged role in the attack of police personnel and set a control point in the exchange of Faizabad de Islamabad.
The Superior Court, in their order in writing, indicated that the records of the case did not establish that none of the convicts was arrested from the protest site.
The defense lawyers argued that the Court of First Instance had already acquitted the accused of terrorism positions and, instead, had convicted them for minor crimes.
“The defendants were not caught from the crime scene, but they were convicted,” the court observed.
The Prosecutor’s Office, however, argued that the Court of First Instance had sentenced the convicted based on forensic evidence and Images of CCTV.
The Prosecutor’s Office also opposed the suspensions, maintaining that the guilt verdict was supported by the available evidence.
The charges revealed that five of the 10 convicted individuals were Afghan nationals. The Court ordered the defendant to present original identity documents to the deputy secretary for verification.
“In the case of Afghan citizenship, the deputy secretary will retain the documents,” the court ruled.
It has been addressed to the convicts that appear before the Court for all future hearings as the appeal process continues.
