Military courts have sentenced 25 civilians to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for their involvement in violent attacks on military installations during nationwide riots on May 9, 2023, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday. The May 9, 2023 unrest, which followed the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan saw what ISPR termed “politically orchestrated attacks” on armed forces installations, including “desecration of the monuments of Shuhada [martyrs]”.
The convictions, announced following the Supreme Court’s directive conditionally allowing them, primarily relate to attacks on several key military sites including the Jinnah House, General Headquarters (GHQ), and Pakistan Air Force Base Mianwali. Following what the military’s media wing dubbed the “Black Day”, investigators gathered what they described as “irrefutable evidences” to prosecute the accused. Select cases were referred to Field General Court Martial “as per law.”
The prosecutions gained momentum after December 13, 2024, when a seven-member Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan directed the finalisation of pending cases that had been halted by an earlier court order. In this first phase of sentencing, the military courts have handed down punishments ranging from two to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Fourteen of the 25 convicted received 10-year sentences, with the majority linked to the Jinnah House incident. Other attacks involved GHQ, PAF Base Mianwali, Punjab Regimental Centre Mardan, and various military installations across the country.
Among those receiving maximum sentences were Jan Muhammad Khan and Muhammad Imran Mehboob for the Jinnah House attack, Raja Muhammad Ehsan for the GHQ incident, and Anwar Khan for involvement in the PAF Base Mianwali attack. The ISPR said that “promulgation of the sentences of remaining accused is also being done and will be announced shortly as and when the due process is complete”.
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)