LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan reiterated his earlier stance to the joint investigation team (JIT) that neither he had provoked anyone to violence, nor his party leaders or workers were involved in May 9 riots, elaborating on that “some other people ‘engineered and executed the ugly events.”
The JIT, comprising five high-ranking police officers, is probing the violent events unfolded on May 9 after permission granted by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).
The JIT team visited Attock jail where they quizzed the PTI chief — undergoing three-year sentence awarded in Toshakhana case — in different cases, for which he has been booked under sedition and anti-terror laws.
The entire JIT including Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Investigation Imran Kishore questioned Khan but the PTI chairman once again changed his stance about the May 9 events. During the interrogation, the team informed the former premier — who was ousted from office after a no-confidence motion against him in April 2022 — that there was evidence against him of inciting violence on May 9.
“How could I provoke anyone when I was arrested and how would I know that such incidents will,” he replied.
The JIT said they have video clips showing protesters taking Imran Khan’s name.
“I did not incite anyone, everyone went to the cantonment area on their own. My party members were not part of the riots, they were some other people,” he told the JIT.
A day earlier, the JIT interrogated Imran Khan on the addition of offences under sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty) and 146 (rioting) mentioned in the first information report (FIR).
Other offences, under which Khan was grilled, include sections 120, 120-A, 120-B, 121-A, 505, 153, 153-A, 153-B and 107 of PPC for his alleged involvement in attacks on Askari Tower, Shadman police station, and torching of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) offices in Lahore’s Model Town and Jinnah House, which also serves as the corps commander’s residence.
The May 9 riots were triggered almost across the country after the deposed prime minister’s arrest in the £190 million settlement case. Hundreds of PTI workers and senior leaders were put behind bars for their involvement in violence and attacks on military installations.
During the protests, the miscreants targeted the civil and military installations including — Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The military termed May 9 “Black Day” and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act.
To probe Khan for the violence that ensued, the police had added the provisions on August 18 as per the case diary after which it contacted the anti-terrorism court seeking permission to investigate the PTI chief.
The court’s Judge Ejaz Ahmad Buttar, consequently, issued an order at the request of the police.
