Pakistan: 2138 suspects arrested in connection with May 9 riots
Jul 18, 2023
Islamabad [Pakistan], July 18 : As many as 2138 suspects have been arrested in five major cities of Pakistan's Punjab province in connection with the May 9 case, ARY News reported on Tuesday.
Punjab police shared the details of the May 9 riots suspects, who were arrested in five major cities under terrorism charges.
On May 9, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan was arrested at the Islamabad High Court in the Al Qadir Trust case. After his arrest, protests erupted in Pakistan and military installations including the Lahore corps commander's residence and state properties were attacked in Pakistan.
The police record shows that 645 suspects were arrested in 14 terrorism cases from Lahore which includes 93 nominated suspects of May 9 violence.
Police arrested 173 suspects in 2 cases from Gujranwala, 438 arrested in 14 terrorism cases from Rawalpindi and 670 arrested from Sargodha in nine terrorism cases, according to ARY News.
Furthermore, the Punjab police took 212 suspects in custody in five terrorism cases whereas 159 suspects were released in 44 cases after the identification parade.
Earlier, Punjab caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir claimed that no bullet was fired on May 9 across Punjab.
He said tpolice have arrested hundreds of suspects in connection with May 9 violence and cases are being proceed against them. He added that eight cases are registered against the PTI chief for his alleged involvement in the May 9 violence and he will be arrested when the right time comes, reported ARY News.
Meanwhile, the PTI filed a petition contesting the military trial of suspects involved in the May 9 riots dubbing the attacks against military and defence institutions, however, the central government asked to dismiss the pleas as it is a "direct attack against the national security," Geo News reported.
The administration declared that anyone responsible for the mayhem on May 9—during which numerous government structures and military institutions were vandalized—would be tried in military courts.
Led by Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), five members of the civil society, including Karamat Ali, the executive director of Piler, filed a petition with the Supreme Court asking it to declare the military trials unlawful, Geo News reported.
A nine-member apex panel was first established initially to hear complaints over the prosecution of civilians in military courts.
