SIC chief Hamid Raza jailed for 10 years in May 9 riots case

FAISALABAD: A Faisalabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) sent Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Mohammad Hamid Raza to jail on Friday, directing that he serve his 10-year jail term in a case pertaining to violent protests in the country on May 9, 2023.

Hamid was convicted in the case along with several PTI leaders on July 31. According to his brother, he was detained by Islamabad police earlier on Friday while he was on his way to Faisalabad to court arrest.

He was later presented before the court, which issued an order, noting that Hamid had been convicted in the case registered at Civil Lines police station in Faisalabad by then-ATC Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh.

He was produced before the court on Friday by Inspector Mujahid Iqbal of Civil Lines police station, it added.

According to the order, Hamid was sentenced in the case on multiple counts, with the maximum term being 10 years.

It said that the Faisalabad Central Jail superintendent was required and authorised to receive the convict in his custody for the completion of his sentences in accordance with the law.

“The sentences of imprisonment awarded to the convict for all the offences shall run concurrently,” the order read, adding that the benefit of Section 382-B (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) of the Code of Criminal Procedure had been extended in favour of the convict.

Earlier on Friday, Hamid’s brother, Sahibzada Hassan Raza, had said the SIC chief had been detained by Islamabad police while he was travelling to Faisalabad with the intention of surrendering himself before the court.

Police arrested him near a picket on Islamabad bypass road, Hassan said while speaking to the media outside the Faisalabad ATC, where Hamid was produced.

A separate post on Hamid’s X account also cited Hassan as saying that Hamid was detained by Islamabad police as he was en route to Faisalabad.

“He was travelling from Peshawar to Faisalabad to surrender. Islamabad police arrested him,” the early morning post stated. Monitoring Desk