Withdrawal applications to be filed after cabinet minutes received, leaving no pending cases from May protests
Protestors throw stones after police fire tear gas to disperse them in Lahore on May 9, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government plans to withdraw more than 55 cases filed against PTI workers during protests on May 9 and 10 after a cabinet decision.
Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel said 319 cases were registered during the protests. Most of the accused have been acquitted or discharged due to insufficient evidence. The 55 pending cases will be withdrawn once cabinet meeting minutes are received, and Additional Advocate General Inam Yousafzai has been appointed as special prosecutor to oversee the process.
Read: K-P govt moves to quash May 9 cases
Some cases did not include anti-terrorism clauses, while others were decided after responses were submitted to court. The 55 cases with no responses filed are the ones that will be withdrawn. Of those with Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) provisions, 29 remain pending, while 23 have concluded with eight acquittals. The remaining cases were transferred to regular courts because ATA provisions could not be applied.
Six cases remain pending, with responses submitted for one and the remaining five still in process. Once cabinet minutes are received, withdrawal applications will be filed and argued in court, leaving no pending cases from the protests.
Read More: K-P govt scraps May 9 cases from caretaker era
According to a report on Saturday, 416 terrorism cases are pending across 10 Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Peshawar accounts for 192 of these cases across three courts.
In November 2025, 100 cases were decided across the province. Peshawar resolved 57, Matta 15, and Mardan seven, while Swat and Upper Dir each decided three. Meanwhile, courts in Buner, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan decided none.
