PTI leader and former MNA Zartaj Gul has filed an appeal against her recent 10-year prison sentence. The sentence, along with a Rs1 million fine, was handed down by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad for her alleged role in the May 9, 2023 riots. The riots erupted nationwide after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan, leading to widespread violence and mass arrests.
In her appeal filed at the Punjab High Court, Gul claimed innocence and argued that the court convicted her without solid evidence or proper justification. Her legal team, led by Barrister Ali Zafar and Muhammad Hussain Chotia, submitted that the conviction was based on insufficient and unreliable evidence. The petition urges the court to quash both the prison sentence and the fine imposed.
Gul is the first PTI leader in Punjab to appeal her conviction. Other PTI figures, including Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz, have also faced legal and political fallout after their convictions. The Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified all three leaders, leading to their removal from parliamentary seats. However, the Peshawar High Court temporarily barred the ECP from acting against Ayub and Faraz, pending further legal review.
The court’s decision to convict Gul has drawn criticism from within PTI ranks, with supporters calling it politically motivated. Gul, who served as Minister of State for Climate Change until 2022 and was later nominated as SIC’s parliamentary leader, says the charges are baseless and that she was not involved in the unrest.
The Punjab High Court is expected to begin hearing the appeal soon. The outcome could influence other PTI leaders facing similar convictions as the party continues to fight legal battles following the May 9 protests.