Supporters of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, take part in a protest as they block the main road a day after the assassination attempt on Khan, in Peshawar, on November 4, 2022. (AFP/Abdul MAJEED)
Islamabad: A Pakistani opposition leader was among more than three dozen members and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan's party sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, the government said.
The sentences were handed down by an anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Sargodha after the group was found guilty of involvement in riots, mainly against the army in May 2023, when Khan was first arrested.
"Punjab Assembly's Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Bhachar has been awarded a 10-year sentence," deputy minister of law Aqeel Malik said in a press conference.
A sitting lawmaker, a former parliamentarian and 32 other supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were also sentenced to 10 years each for attacking government buildings, Malik said.
Khan, in office from 2018 to 2022, was initially arrested in May 2023, sparking nationwide unrest, some of which targeted military facilities.
Tuesday sentences were handed down for the attack on a police station in Khan's home constituency of Mianwali city, while those accused of targeting military installations are facing separate trials in military courts.
"Neither was any transparent or legal procedure followed in the case, nor was any credible witness presented. The demands of justice were grossly violated," PTI's senior leader Asad Qaiser said in a post on X.
"We will challenge this biased decision in the higher judiciary," he added.
Khan has been jailed since August 2023 on a slew of corruption charges his party says are politically motivated.
His supporters and senior party leaders have also faced a severe crackdown, with thousands rounded up and Khan's name censored from television.
