“The shadow of lies must not hide the light of truth,” the Prime Minister posted on social media platform X. Prime Minister Sharif said that a year ago, on May 9, not only were symbols of Pakistan’s “national pride and honor” attacked, but “the sanctity of our sacred motherland was also violated.”
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Why is Pakistan going through a “dark day” today?
On May 9 last year, protesters following Imran Khan’s arrest stormed the gates of the Pakistan Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, stormed and set fire to the house of the Lahore Corps commander, and set security posts in several locations across the country. and set fire to a police vehicle.
The Armed Forces Heart Institute in Rawalpindi was also attacked, and some protesters targeted a military convoy in Lahore.
In an unprecedented display of anger that caught the Pakistani military by surprise, monuments to martyrs were also attacked, vandalized and desecrated.
On May 9 last year, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers set fire to a police van and a security checkpoint in Karachi, and police responded with tear gas and batons.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, protesters set fire to a replica of Mount Chaghi, where Pakistan tested a nuclear bomb in 1998.
Pakistani police and PTI workers also clashed in Quetta and Gilgit-Baltistan province.
thousands arrested
Pakistani authorities have arrested more than 4,000 people following the May 9 riots and protests, including leaders of Imran Khan’s PTI party, according to Human Rights Watch.
However, more than 10,000 party members have been arrested since May 9, according to PTI, and the party said they were illegally detained in so-called fake cases.
Following the May 9 violence, Pakistani authorities also rounded up and arrested key PTI leaders, workers, and others who posted live videos of the attacks on social media. Later, a criminal case was registered against them.
Also read: Imran Khan’s party denies secret talks with Pak regime’s powerful forces
Citing the PILDAT report, Pakistani media reported that no defendants had been convicted in connection with the May 9 violence until January 2024.
However, an April 2024 report by the Attorney General of Pakistan to the country’s Supreme Court said that 20 people sentenced to one year in prison by military courts in connection with May 9 were released. . Meanwhile, the report said the Pakistan army still has 103 suspects in its custody, including 33 military personnel.
According to information shared by PTI with Pakistani media, a total of 52 party leaders and workers, including 19 women, remain in jail.
Imran rejects apology on May 9th
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday refused to apologize to the media for the May 9 violence, speaking to the media after court proceedings in a corruption case.
However, it added that it had already condemned the violent protests on May 9.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s military ruled out dialogue with the PTI unless the party leadership issues a public apology on May 9.
Khan said if the Pakistani establishment was not interested in dialogue, the PTI would not pursue it either.
