An anti-terrorism court in Lahore sentenced Zaheerul Hassan Shah, a senior cleric of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, to 35 years in prison for inciting violence after a video showed him offering 10 million rupees for the beheading of then-Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The judge found Shah guilty of terrorism-related incitement following his arrest last year. The case follows criticism of Chief Justice Isa for granting bail to an Ahmadi defendant and comes shortly after the government banned the TLP amid deadly clashes at a pro-Gaza rally. TLP leader Saad Rizvi has been missing amid reports he fled to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Pakistani Cleric From Banned TLP Sentenced to 35 Years for Inciting Beheading of Chief Justice
FILE - Zaheerul Hassan Shah, the deputy chief of a radical Islamist party, speaks to his supporters during a gathering in Lahore, Pakistan, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Monday sentenced Zaheerul Hassan Shah, a senior cleric of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), to 35 years in prison after finding him guilty of inciting violence against the country’s then-chief justice, court officials and the defense lawyer said.
The conviction follows the circulation last year of a video in which Shah reportedly offered 10 million rupees (about $36,000) to anyone who would behead then-Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Shah was arrested after the clip spread widely on social media, prompting authorities to open an anti-terror probe.
Background and Context
Chief Justice Isa came under intense criticism from hardline religious groups after granting bail to a man from the Ahmadi community in a blasphemy-related case. The Ahmadi faith is viewed by many orthodox Muslims as an offshoot of Islam; Pakistan’s parliament declared Ahmadis non-Muslim in 1974. Members of the Ahmadi community, along with their homes and places of worship, have frequently been targeted by extremists.
Defense counsel Maqsood-ul-Haq and court officials confirmed Shah’s conviction and sentence. The anti-terrorism court found that Shah’s public call for violence met the legal threshold for incitement and terrorism-related penalties under Pakistani law.
Wider Political Fallout
The verdict comes amid broader unrest involving the TLP. Less than two months before the conviction, Pakistan’s government formally banned the TLP after deadly clashes erupted between party supporters and police during a pro-Gaza rally. The clashes followed a march led by TLP leader Saad Rizvi toward Islamabad in early October, which escalated into violent confrontations.
Saad Rizvi has been unaccounted for since the unrest. Authorities say he fled to Pakistan-administered Kashmir during the unrest, though his precise whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
What This Means: The sentencing signals an assertive response from Pakistan’s courts and government to public calls for violence and to hardline mobilization by banned groups. It also highlights the continuing tensions surrounding blasphemy cases and the precarious position of religious minorities such as Ahmadis.
