Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended the sentences of 10 convicts involved in the May 9 riots cases.  As per details, the court, comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, ordered the convicts to present bail bonds worth Rs 25,000 each. The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had previously sentenced the convicts to a collective imprisonment of five years and 10 months on November 22. The convicts were accused of attacking police and burning a police checkpoint in Faizabad. 

The IHC stated that none of the convicts were arrested from the scene of the crime. The court also directed the deputy registrar to obtain the original identification cards of the convicts to verify their nationality, as five of the convicts are reportedly Afghan citizens. The prosecutor opposed the suspension of sentences, arguing that the trial court had handed down the sentences based on CCTV footage and other evidence. However, the court accepted the bail pleas and directed them to appear before the court on every hearing.In a separate development, 19 convicts in May 9 riots were granted pardon by the military courts. 

According to ISPR statement, 19 convicts involved in the May 9, 2023 riots granted pardon following their pleas for mercy. During the implementation of their sentences, the convicts exercised their legal right by filing petitions for leniency and pardon, the statement read. These 19 convicts, along with a total of 67 individuals involved in the incident, filed petitions for clemency. Of these, 48 petitions were sent for review by the Courts of Appeal for legal proceedings, the ISPR said. The amnesty granted to the 19 individuals was approved purely on humanitarian grounds, in accordance with the law.  

Violent clashes were broken out across Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023. The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their chairman’s arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order. Army installations, including Corps Commander’s house in Lahore, had come under attack during the protests by PTI workers. It is pertinent to mention that the PTI founder is named as main accused in all the May 9 riots cases.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)