May 9 violence: An anti-terrorism court has started the process of declaring former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sisters, Alima Khan and Uzma Khan, and his nephew as well as leaders of his party as ‘absconders’ for not complying with the probe related to the May 9 violence.
The police told the court that the leader of Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was not following the investigation and was hiding despite knowing his involvement in the cases, Geo News reported.
The police filed a petition asking the court to declare those persons, including Imran’s sisters and nephew Hasan Niazi, as ‘absconders’.
Meanwhile, the court extended the judicial custody of PTI leaders arrested in the riots and directed the police to produce challans against them in the next hearing.
About the violence in Pakistan on 9th May
On 9 May, supporters of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party vandalized over 20 military installations and government buildings, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s House, the Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was also attacked by the mob for the first time.
Violent protests followed in the wake of Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on corruption charges. He was later released on bail. Police arrested over 10,000 PTI workers and over 100 are being tried under the Army Act.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the anti-terrorism court was told by the public authority investigator that Imran Khan has been found guilty of inciting the attack on military bases, including the Lahore Corps Commander House.
A court official told PTI, “A special prosecutor told ATC on Friday that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of the Punjab Police has completed the probe into the May 9 attacks on military and state buildings and found Imran Khan guilty of inciting terrorism and other charges.”
Investigator Farhad Ali Shah said that the PTI chairman had run a mission and motivated party workers against the army before the May 9 attacks.
Khan denied planning or inspiring the attacks, saying it was a well-planned plot to oust his party from the upcoming elections.
Read this also | Pakistan: Government says Imran Khan guilty of plotting May 9 attacks