An anti terrorism court in Islamabad awarded multiple life sentences to Adil Raja, Moeed Pirzada, Wajahat Saeed, Sabir Shakir and Haider Mehdi over ‘digital terrorism’ in a case linked to May 9, 2023 riots.
According to media reports, an ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict against the accused after concluding prolonged digital terrorism related proceedings.
The verdict related to the cases were registered at Aabpara and Ramna police stations following violent unrest triggered during protests across the federal capital on sensitive national incidents on May 09.
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According to court records journalists Shakir and Pirzada were tried in the case lodged at Aabpara while Mehdi Saeed and Shaheen Sehbai faced charges in a case registered at Ramna police station.
Besides life imprisonment the court imposed an additional 35 years under other legal provisions and levied a collective fine of Rs 1.5 million.
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The prosecution was represented by Raja Naveed Hussain Kiani who presented evidence witnesses and arguments seeking strict punishment for actions termed destabilising institutions nationally significant.
The convicts were defended by Advocate Gulfam Goraya appointed by the court as state counsel because the accused did not physically present during the proceedings.
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At the request of prosecutors the trial was conducted in absentia with the court recording testimonies from 24 witnesses presented throughout hearings over months.
Officials said the convictions stem from online content linked to unrest arguing such activity amounted to organised digital incitement and coordinated disruption of state authority.
