Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi granted bail in May 9 violence case. As per details, the Anti-Terrorism Court judge Malik Ejaz heard the bail pleas of Shah Mehmood and PTI founder Imran Khan. The prosecution urged the court for some time however the ATC rejected the request and granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan in 12 cases and Shah Mehmood in 13 cases. Earlier, Punjab Home Department submitted a comprehensive report pertaining to May 9 riots, wherein military installations were attacked following PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest, revealing that the events were pre-planned. The 17-page report, endorsed by the Standing Committee on Law and Order, officially attributed the May 9 violence in Lahore to Imran Khan and PTI’s central leadership. According to the rules, the report was made a regular part of the official documents. The report characterises the events as a “war against the state”, stating that the attack on military and state institutions were pre-planned.

“The institutions were attacked at the behest of PTI central and local leadership,” it added. The report holds PTI leadership accountable, naming individuals like Hammad Azhar, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, Umar Sarfaraz Cheema, Mansab Awan, Azam Khan Niazi, Bajash Niazi and Murad Raas. 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)