In a significant legal development, former Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Khalid Khurshid has been sentenced to 34 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court (ATC). The court found him guilty of issuing threats against security agencies, the chief secretary, and the chief election commissioner during a PTI power show on May 26, 2024.
Along with the prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs 600,000 on Khurshid and directed authorities to arrest him immediately. The court also ordered the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to block Khurshid’s national identity card (CNIC), adding further legal complications to his case.
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The charges against Khurshid were filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) following a First Information Report (FIR) lodged at the City Police Station in Gilgit. Despite being summoned to court, Khurshid remained a fugitive and did not attend any proceedings.
Khurshid’s political career, which saw him rise to become the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan in 2020, began to unravel after his disqualification in July 2023. The disqualification followed a ruling by the GB Chief Court, which found that he had submitted a fake degree from the University of London during his nomination process. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) later confirmed the degree was fake after an inquiry.
Khurshid, who joined PTI in 2018 and served as the party’s divisional president of Diamer-Astore, also faces multiple other charges, including involvement in PTI’s protests at D-Chowk in Islamabad in October. His legal troubles have cast a long shadow over his political career, with this latest ruling marking a significant turning point.
