An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore has sentenced senior Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) leader Pir Zaheerul Hasan Shah to more than 35 years in prison for issuing threats against former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa.
The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Arshad Javed after the completion of trial proceedings in a case registered in 2024. The court found Shah guilty on multiple counts, handing down a cumulative sentence of 35 years and six months along with a fine of Rs600,000.
Shah, who served as vice emir of the now-banned religio-political party, was arrested on July 29 last year from Okara. The case stemmed from a speech he delivered during a protest outside the Lahore Press Club, where demonstrators were rallying against a Supreme Court ruling in the Mubarak Sani case.
According to the prosecution, Shah’s speech included explicit threats directed at the then-chief justice, prompting authorities to register a first information report (FIR) at Lahore’s Qila Gujjar Singh police station. The FIR also named around 1,500 TLP workers accused of participating in the protest and issuing similar threats.
The charges were filed under various provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), as well as laws related to spreading religious hatred, creating public disorder, intimidating the higher judiciary, interfering in state affairs, and obstructing officials from performing their legal duties.
The ruling comes amid a broader crackdown on the group. In October, the federal government officially declared Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan a proscribed organisation under the ATA, citing its alleged involvement in terrorism and repeated violent protests. A notification issued by the Ministry of Interior said authorities had sufficient grounds to believe the group was linked to acts of terrorism.
The conviction marks a significant legal development, reinforcing the state’s stance against threats to judicial institutions and attempts to incite violence through extremist rhetoric.
