Wazirabad 2022 PTI assassin jailed for life for terrorism

The Anti-Terrorism Court in Gujranwala has imposed a life sentence on Naveed Bashir, the principal offender in the 2022 attack on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) march in Wazirabad, Punjab, for offenses of murder and terrorism. This judgment arises from an incident on November 3, 2022, during which a gunman initiated gunfire at the march, resulting in injuries to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Senator Faisal Javed, and numerous others, as well as the death of a PTI worker. Justice Muhammad Naeem Saleem issued the verdict after a judicial proceeding in which two individuals, who were co-accused, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence. The conviction is the result of investigations conducted by a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) established by the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. Naveed Bashir received a sentence of life imprisonment under Section 302b of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for intentional murder and Section 7a of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) concerning penalties for terrorist acts. Furthermore, Bashir has been instructed to provide financial compensation to the legal successors of the deceased PTI worker and to provide reparations for physical harm inflicted upon those wounded in the attack. The defence counsel for the convicted individual has indicated an intention to contest the sentence in the Lahore High Court, citing alleged irregularities in the prosecution’s case and the evidence presented against the defendant.