The Cabinet Division on Saturday formed a five-member committee tasked with identifying the “role of mastermind, planners, facilitators and executors” of May 9, 2023 incidents that saw countrywide violence following the arrest of former premier Imran Khan.
On May 9 last year, Imran was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau with the help of the paramilitary Rangers at the Islamabad High Court in the Al Qadir Trust case — a development that sparked countrywide protests amid incidents of vandalism and violence.
The military had subsequently termed the events of May 9 a “dark chapter” and announced its intent to try the rioters under relevant laws, including two military laws — the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act.
The decision was endorsed by the National Security Committee.
Since then, numerous individuals, including PTI activists, have undergone trials in military courts. Several party leaders have also resigned from the PTI after expressing condemnation for the violence on the day of Imran’s arrest and the subsequent attacks on military installations.
Apart from the legal proceedings, the caretaker government Saturday formed a committee to probe the incidents.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the committee will have the representation of minister for law and justice, minister for interior, minister for information and broadcasting, minister for human rights, and “any co-opted member to address any issue emanating during the proceedings of the committee”.
The notification also mentioned the terms of references for the committee, which included examination of May 9 incidents “with a view to ascertain the identity and role of mastermind, planners, facilitators and executors”.
It also mandated the committee “to analyse the causes, and determine responsibility for these events and to evaluate their immediate and long-term implications”.
The committee is also mandated to “suggest preventive measures to ensure that such a breach of national security is not repeated”.
Under the ToRs, the committee must also recommend measures to strengthen the existing legal regime to deter such recurrences.
The notification said the Ministry of Interior would provide “secretarial support to the committee that will submit its report for consideration of the cabinet within a period of 14 days.”
Cabinet Division issued a notification on Saturday mentioning that Law and Justice Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam would head the committee.
Social media propaganda machinery played an important role in instigating the people to act violently. Characters like Adil Raja and others had started propaganda well before May 9 in this respect, indicating that the events were planned much earlier.
Many videos are available in which the mob can be seen attacking and torching the buildings and vehicles while chanting slogans against the state and its institutions, threatening serious consequences.
