Caretaker govt’s report says Imran ‘actively contributed’ to May 9 planning

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker government’s report on May 9 says that evidence, shared with the cabinet committee which had probed the matter, shows that Imran Khan “actively contributed” to the planning of these violent attacks on military installations.

The report claims, “Evidence shown to the Committee suggests several party leaders were involved in this planning. It further suggests that Mr Khan actively contributed to it.”

It also disclosed, “Investigations conducted so far suggest that there were 34 individuals who masterminded the strategy of violent street power, actively contributed to planning the violence and mayhem. Additionally, 52 individuals contributed to detail planning and 185 individuals executed this plan.”

The report said, “As part of the strategy, party supporters including armed men were relocated from the party’s strongholds, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Lahore, several days in advance of Mr Khan’s arrest. Groups of these people were housed at different locations across Lahore and their expenses were borne by party leaders and sympathisers. They were tasked to, in the first instance, resist Mr Khan’s arrest and, as a last resort, to cause violence and mayhem in the event of his arrest. These people successfully resisted police and other LEAs from arresting Mr Khan on a number of occasions.”

The report said, “On May 9, 2023, following Mr Khan’s arrest, these people assembled at pre-decided locations to serve as rallying points for other party workers. Evidence shows these people were already armed with batons etc., to cause violence. Taking lead from social media, they successfully further enflamed the already charged emotions of the crowd. They also helped steer crowds towards pre-decided locations such as the GHQ in Rawalpindi and the Jinnah House in Lahore. Testimonies recorded of those present at these places speak of voices from within the crowd prompting them to march to certain locations and silencing opposition to those suggestions. Once at those locations, these people initiated violence and encouraged others to participate.”

It added, “The pattern of violence on May 9, 2023 suggests that these people were following a carefully crafted strategy in attacking specific targets, including military installations. An examination of call logs shows that these calls were made by certain PTI leaders to the rioters attacking the Jinnah House. A day earlier the same PTI leaders made multiple calls to the same rioters on May 8, 2023, establishing very close coordination between PTI leaders and the rioters. Many of the culprits who were subsequently arrested, confessed during interrogation to have received instructions from PTI party leaders to cause violence and mayhem and attack specific targets such as the residence of Corps Commander, Lahore.” “The events of May 9, 2023 were neither isolated nor entirely spontaneous. They were part of an organised strategy to demonstrate street power through violence in the event of Mr Khan’s arrest. Evidence shown to the Committee suggests that as Mr Khan’s arrest became increasingly likely (owing to his own recalcitrant behaviour), the party leadership formulated a strategy to respond to his arrest by causing violence and mayhem by attacking military installations.

“Mr Khan had long seen the military establishment as, both, the entity responsible for his ouster from the government and the only institution he was open to negotiating with. Mr Khan had repeatedly voiced his contempt for other political parties and their leaders and his constant refusal to even sit in parliament with them. He had also expressed a desire to engage with the military establishment to find political solutions. Mr Khan refused to respect the constitutional role for the armed forces that require them to remain apolitical. He desired active engagement by the armed forces in politics in violation of their constitutional mandate. When the armed forces refused to be dragged into politics, Mr Khan and his party sought to create an environment that would pressure them into engaging with him. This was augmented by a media strategy through local and external platforms. Mr Khan at no point denounced or disowned the May 9 event, rather twisted its facts to widen the divide between the people and the armed forces, nor he has publicly acknowledged the consequences of this event on the national security of Pakistan.

“Accordingly, a strategy was developed to demonstrate street power by attacking defence installations. This would, at once, allow PTI supporters to vent their anger for the no-confidence motion at the armed forces, and to pressure them into engagement with PTI. This strategy was based on a simple assumption that a clash between unarmed protestors and the military would generate anti-military sentiment, thus creating a gulf between the people and the armed forces. Such a gulf would corner the military into engaging politically and, perhaps, Mr Khan saw himself as a savior capable of bridging such a gulf.”

The report in its conclusion said, “Having reviewed the information, documents and materials provided to the Committee, this Committee is of the view that the responsibility for the events of 9 May 2023 rests exclusively on the leadership of the PTI. The events of 9th May were coordinated and organised. They were part of a strategy to demonstrate street power and use violence as weapon to exert pressure on military, while indirectly pressurising judiciary, ECP and other state institutions. It was a calculated attack on the state and its institutions.”

Those who planned, executed and aided such criminality must face the full might of the law. The investigative agencies, the prosecution services and judiciary must all play their part in ensuring swift justice for those involved.