PTI leadership was warned — no leniency on May 9

ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, were unequivocally warned that the state will show “no compromise, leniency, or deal-making” in cases related to the May 9 attacks on military installations.

Sources said that the message, conveyed to the PTI leaders during recent interactions, emphasized that the institution “cannot afford to ignore” the events of May 9 or offer clemency to those implicated in violence against defence institutions. The PTI leadership was told the legal process for May 9 cases will proceed without political bargaining. “No leniency will be shown,” sources said. The authorities asserted the violence targeting military sites, including the burning of the Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore and attacks on GHQ entry points, was “premeditated”, not spontaneous. Two individuals were specifically implicated. Sources claimed both instructed protesters via phone calls to set fire to army buildings during the riots.

The events followed the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023, which triggered nationwide protests. The subsequent targeting of military facilities led to a severe crackdown, mass arrests and trials under military and anti-terrorism laws.