Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court ruled on Thursday that the actions of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan were similar to those of “terrorists” in cases related to the May 9 riots, and that he had delegated the task of attacking military installations, government facilities and police personnel to his party leaders to pressure for his release.
The 71-year-old PTI founder and hundreds of party members are on trial in several cases, including under the Official Secrets Act, related to violent protests by his supporters that damaged key military installations across Pakistan on May 9, 2023. Unprecedented protests erupted across Pakistan after Khan was arrested on corruption charges on May 9 last year.
Members of Khan’s party are said to have destroyed 12 military sites, including Jinnah House (the residence of the Corps Commander in Lahore), Mianwali Air Base and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was also attacked by the mob. first time.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called the anti-terrorism court’s ruling an “absurd order” and vowed to launch protests.
Earlier this week, Lahore’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) rejected Khan’s pre-arrest bail in three cases related to the May 9 riots, allowing him to remain in custody for questioning by police.
In a detailed order issued on Thursday, ATC Judge Khalid Arshad said, “The unusual concession of pre-arrest bail is for an innocent person and not for the petitioner Imran Khan Niazi, who along with senior PTI leadership and protesters/suspects with a common objective of waging war against the state to topple the government, hatched and realised a criminal conspiracy.” The order said Khan not only instigated people but also directed his leaders to create chaos, disturb law and order and carry out arson to pressure the army and the government and seek his release. This was revealed in the statements of two prosecution witnesses, The Express Tribune reported.
“The pre-arrest bail of the petitioner is without basis and the interim bail already granted is cancelled and dismissed,” the judge said.
The judge further stated: “Where peaceful protesters hatch a criminal conspiracy, propagate it, share common cause with other accused, become armed and attempt to attack and damage state property such as the residence of the Lahore Corps Commander, known as Jinnah House, Lahore, and target government institutions, they become ‘terrorists’… They lose their normal rights as law-abiding citizens.” The order, quoting the special prosecutor, said the criminal conspiracy was hatched at Khan’s Lahore Zaman Park home on May 7 and 8, during which Khan himself had spoken to the PTI top leadership about his fears of arrest and his reaction to the start of the protests and the damage to military installations.
Reacting to the ACT’s detailed order, PTI said, “There is no evidence in the verdict that Imran Khan ordered the May 9 violence. The judge has drawn inferences and speculations while rejecting Khan’s pre-arrest bail.” In a statement, PTI noted that Pakistan’s Supreme Court had earlier declared Imran Khan’s arrest illegal, adding, “We will challenge the anti-terror court’s verdict.” Anti-terror courts in other parts of the country, including Rawalpindi and Sargodha, have dismissed cases accusing Imran Khan of being the main suspect in instigating the May 9 violence on the basis that no evidence was presented to support the prosecution’s case, PTI said.
The party also alleged that Khan is only incarcerated in the Iddat case and that this appears to be another politically motivated case to prolong Khan’s wrongful imprisonment as the plaintiff’s baseless claims are likely to be rejected and are “clearly in the process of being concluded.” Meanwhile, the party’s parliamentary committee has decided to raise its voice for Khan and all innocent prisoners in protests and rallies and has immediately launched a campaign.
“Congress Leader Zartaj Gul Wazir @zartajgulwazir presided over the discussion on the decision taken in the parliamentary committee meeting,” PTI said in a post on its official account X.
Advocate Abzar Salman Niazi, a leading PTI committee member, said on X: “It is an absurd order. The judge has declared Imran Khan not innocent. Note: The trial is still ongoing and no conviction has been recorded in the case. How is it possible that Imran Khan can be declared guilty before the trial is over? Where is the principle of law (everyone is innocent until proven guilty)?”
