New Delhi: Seven senior journalists and commentators in-exile who were seen to be supporters of Imran Khan, including Wajahat Khan and Moeed Pirzada, have been sentenced to double life terms after being convicted of “digital terrorism” and inciting violence during protests in Pakistan following the former prime minister’s arrest in 2023.
Others convicted following the trial in absentia are journalists Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai, army officers-turned-YouTuber Adil Raja and Syed Akbar Hussain; and army officer-turned-political commentator Haider Raza Mehdi. Moeed Pirzada is a political analyst.
Speaking to ThePrint, Wajahat Khan said the Friday judgment is “legally unserious, morally bankrupt, and destined for the dustbin of history”, while Moeed Pirzada said the order signifies nothing but “a death of the courts under a military rule”.
The court also ordered the Pakistani police to arrest the convicted individuals and put them in jail should they return to the country. During the 9 May protest, Khan’s supporters attacked military installations and burnt government property.
“I was never served a summons, never informed of any proceedings, never contacted by the court, and never told that I even had a ‘defense counsel’,” journalist Wajahat Khan.
Khan was also indicted in 2024 on charges of inciting violence against military and government targets. He has denied the allegations.
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Trial in absentia
Wajahat Khan said he learned of his sentence through media reports while living in New York.
“I was never served a summons, never informed of any proceedings, never contacted by the court, and never told that I even had a ‘defense counsel’,” he said, adding that he had “publicly and unequivocally” condemned the May 9 violence, a claim he said could easily be verified.
“This ruling is not justice,” Khan said. “It is political theater, conducted without due process, jurisdiction or credibility. It is legally unserious, morally bankrupt, and destined for the dustbin of history.”
Journalist Moeed Pirzada agreed. “Awarding life imprisonment (more than 80 years) to prominent journalists and vocal critics of Pakistan’s military controlled regime, reflects the regime’s desperation to silence dissenting voices emerging from North America and Europe,” he said.
He also called it the death of Pakistan’s court system since ‘trial in absentia is against Pakistan’s law, constitution and the country’s international obligations under Rome Statute.
“This bizarre decision of trial by absentia of journalists and critics who have been living abroad, much before the May 2023 riots, also marks the death of the Pakistani court system, after the 26th and 27th Amendments. Courts have become mere tools in the hands of the Pakistan Army. The decision is ridiculous in all respects,” he added.
Moeed Pirzada lives in the US, Sabir Shakir and Adil Raja are in the UK, while the exact locations of the three others are not public.
One of the convicted individuals said these are different time zones hours apart, but they have been charged for inciting the same mob, at a time when the Internet in Pakistan was totally shut on govt orders.
“Trial in absentia and legally bogus decision of life imprisonment for journalists living abroad is a desperate attempt of the Pakistani army to intimidate its vocal critics into silence. And to manipulate global platforms like Google, YouTube, Meta and X,” Pirzada added.
What the case is
According to a Dawn report, the prosecution accused the seven individuals of carrying out what it described as “digital terrorism against state institutions,” alleging that they used online platforms to incite, facilitate and amplify attacks on 9 May.
All the cases were registered in 2023. According to court records, the Islamabad police booked Sabir Shakir, Moeed Pirzada and former military officer Syed Akbar Hussain on charges of sedition and terrorism, accusing them of involvement in violence and vandalism during the protests that erupted after Imran Khan’s arrest on 9 May in a corruption case.
Separately, Shaheen Sehbai, Wajahat Saeed Khan, Adil Raja and Haider Raza Mehdi were charged with abetting mutiny and inciting attacks on military installations across the country.
The court sentenced all seven to rigorous life imprisonment on two counts — waging or attempting to wage war against Pakistan and criminal conspiracy and imposed fines of PKR 500,000 for each offence.
In addition, they were sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined PKR 200,000 under Section 121-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with conspiracy to commit offences related to waging war against the state.
The court further handed down another 10-year rigorous prison term and a PKR 200,000 fine under Section 131 of the penal code, which covers abetting mutiny or attempting to seduce members of the armed forces from their duty.
Each individual also received three additional five-year rigorous prison sentences under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, along with fines of PKR 200,000 for each count.
A repressive military regime
Each order also informed the convicts of their right to appeal the verdicts before the Islamabad High Court within seven days.
“I will respond calmly, lawfully, and internationally. Courts that fear speech eventually lose authority—and that outcome is inevitable’, Wajahat Khan said.
Pirzada added, “Time has arrived for International Jurist bodies, ICJ (International Court of Justice), UN, Human Rights Organizations, Bar Associations across the world and Law faculties in universities to examine the state of affairs of judiciary in Pakistan after the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments, to determine how courts have become tools in the hands of Pakistan Army.”
Even prominent newspapers called out the verdict, saying it raises questions about free speech in Pakistan.
“A secure state should be able to confront irresponsible speech without resorting to excessive penalties,” the Dawn wrote in its editorial titled ‘Extreme move’.
The cases stem from riots on 9 May in which Imran Khan’s supporters allegedly attacked military installations and government property after his brief detention on corruption charges.
In the aftermath, the government and the armed forces launched an aggressive campaign against Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and against critics accused of encouraging the unrest.
Hundreds have been charged under anti-terrorism laws, with some civilians tried in military courts. Last week, on 20 December, Khan and his wife were sentenced to 17 years in prison in another corruption case.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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