TOI correspondent in Islamabad: Pakistan’s military on Saturday sentenced 25 civilians to between two and 10 years in prison for their alleged involvement in violent protests following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 9 last year, which left at least eight people dead. announced that he had been sentenced. .
Mr. Khan’s supporters attacked government buildings and military installations. A military statement said the convictions mainly relate to attacks on key military installations such as Jinnah House (Lahore Corps Commander’s residence), the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base in Mianwali. He explained in detail that
The sentence was handed down by an Army court martial as part of the first stage of the trial. The Supreme Court had earlier conditionally granted a military tribunal’s verdict on 85 civilians detained in connection with the riots.
The military statement emphasized that prisoners have the right to appeal and other legal recourse as guaranteed by law.
The May 9 violence resulted in the arrest of many politicians and supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. PTI denies involvement in the violence. However, the government and military maintain that the attack was carefully planned and carried out by the PTI’s top brass.
Khan and his party called for a judicial investigation into the May 9 incident, claiming the violence was a “false flag operation” aimed at suppressing the PTI.
PTI condemned the military court’s decision. Opposition parliamentary leader Omar Ayub wrote of X: “The military tribunal’s judgment against civilians has been set aside. The detainees are civilians and cannot be tried by a military tribunal.” He dubbed the process a “kangaroo court.”
The US branch of PTI criticized the verdict. “As judges, colonels and majors sentenced civilians who were tried in military tribunals. These civilians were held for more than a year in harsh conditions, and many were tortured into making false confessions. “I posted this to X.
Amnesty International also condemned the military tribunal’s decision, calling it an “intimidation tactic aimed at repressing the opposition.”
The army’s media arm, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), called the protests “politically inspired violence and arson.” ISPR said further sentencing for the remaining defendants will be announced once the legal process is completed.
