PTI leader and former MNA Zartaj Gul has approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) to challenge her 10-year prison sentence and Rs1 million fine imposed by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad. The verdict, delivered on July 31, linked her to the violent May 9, 2023, protests triggered by Imran Khan’s arrest. Gul, who denies the charges, claims the conviction lacks credible evidence and legal justification.
The May 9 riots led to widespread arrests, with PTI leaders and workers facing terrorism charges. Following her conviction, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Gul, along with other PTI lawmakers, including National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan and Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz. Their parliamentary seats were subsequently vacated.
Gul’s appeal, filed through her lawyers Barrister Ali Zafar and Muhammad Hussain Chotia, argues that the trial was unjust and seeks an acquittal. Notably, she is the first PTI leader in Punjab to contest her conviction, while Ayub and Faraz secured a stay order from the Peshawar High Court against their disqualifications.
A former state minister for climate change, Gul later became the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) parliamentary leader in the National Assembly after PTI lost its electoral symbol. Her petition claims the ATC’s decision was politically motivated and demands its annulment. The case highlights ongoing legal and political struggles faced by PTI leaders amid a crackdown on the party.