As announced by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), military courts convicted twenty-five individuals involved in the crime of attacking state installations on 9 May 2023. The Field General Court Martial (FGCM) announced punishments first for those who resorted to violence during protests on May 9. These demonstrations were sparked by the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan in a graft case. Thousands of PTI activists who were taken into custody await justice, with more than 100 civilians still facing military trials.
PTI, on the other hand, denies involvement with the incidents of military installations, including at GHQ, and demands a judicial investigation into what happened last year. “The promulgation of sentences of other accused is in process and would be announced after due process,” says the ISPR release. All convicts could appeal against the said decision, as guaranteed by the Constitution.
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Initially, military trials were put on hold after a Supreme Court verdict, but the constitutional bench has ordered that all the pending cases now be finalized and delivered verdicts for those accused of involvement in these violent incidents. The ISPR explained how politically provoked violence and arson afflicted this country on May 9, marking a dark chapter in the nation’s history: Politically orchestrated attacks were executed on armed forces’ installations, including desecration of the monuments of Shuhada (martyrs).
Impeccable discovery warrants to effect criminal prosecution against the accused in the tragedy. The ISPR stressed checking this intolerable attempt at political terrorism: to impose a perverted will through coercion and violence.