Imran to stand trial under Army Act for May 9 riots: Sanaullah
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said PTI Chairman Imran Khan will be tried in a military court for the events of May 9 wherein military installations were also vandalized.
At least eight people were killed, as many as 290 were injured, and over 1,900 enraged protesters were rounded up in running battles with the personnel of law enforcement agencies across the country on May 9 following arrest former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran in the Al Qadir Trust case. The protesters had also stormed the residence of the corps commander in Lahore — also called Jinnah House — and tore down a gate of General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. The riots had elicited a strong reaction from the government and military with vows of taking action against the culprits, leading to an ongoing crackdown against those involved.
In an appearance on Dawn News show Live with Adil Shahzeb, Sanaullah accused Imran of personally carrying out the planning of the attacks on military installations before his arrest on the day, adding that there was evidence to prove the claim as well.
When asked if Imran would be tried in the military court, Sanaullah said: “Absolutely, why shouldn’t he? The programme that he made to target the military installations and then had it executed, in my understanding absolutely is a case of a military court.”
The interior minister accused the PTI chief of personally orchestrating the May 9 riots. “They (PTI supporters) chanted a slogan that ‘Imran Khan is our red line’, and the planning and preparation were done on Imran Khan’s initiative and instigation.
“He carried it all out. He is the architect of all this discord,” adding that there was evidence present to back the accusation as well. “[The evidence] is documented, it is in tweets and his messages,” he added.
When asked how Imran was able to communicate with his party leaders even from jail, the interior minister replied: “All this [planning] was decided before he went [to jail] that ‘who will do what and where. And when he is arrested, what would be the strategy and duties’. All of this was decided.”
The interior minister also ruled out talks with the PTI. Sanaullah’s remarks come a day after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that there was no decision yet on
Imran’s trial under the Army Act, adding, however, that he could not “rule out” such a possibility. “I don’t rule out the possibility that he was the planner and knew everything [about May 9],” Asif had said.
Reacting to the interior minister, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub said his recent “erratic actions and statements” had given rise to “serious questions on his cognitive abilities to carry on as a minister”.
“From holding midnight dubious press conferences to making statements about trying PTI Chairman Imran Khan in a military court, it just proves that he has finally become unhinged and is unfit to perform duties as a minister,” he tweeted.
Imran, aides coordinated efforts to storm military installations: Punjab Police
The Punjab Police had previously claimed, citing a geo-fencing report, that Imran and his close aides allegedly coordinated efforts to storm the residence of the Lahore corps commander and other buildings
Police had detected over 400 calls made by the PTI chairman and other senior leaders to allegedly incite party workers to move towards the military officer’s residence in Lahore Cantt, and other sensitive public buildings.
It was observed that all the rioters were in contact with the PTI top leadership, based in Zaman Park.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar, when contacted by Dawn, had confirmed the geo-fencing record and the alleged use of Imran’s residence for planning the attack on the corps commander’s residence.