33 suspects handed over to military for trial
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s possible trial in connection with the May 9 mayhem falls under the jurisdiction of military courts. n a presser, he said the Pakistan Army Act was applicable to all those who entered, sent other people, or abetted those who entered restricted areas.
Sanaullah said the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act were applicable to activities in military areas. “The Jinnah House is the residence of the [Lahore] corps commander and his camp office. Many sensitive items were also present in Jinnah House.”
Sanaullah said that “only six” out of nearly 500 cases filed after the May 9 vandalism are being processed to be tried under the Army Act, rejecting the perception created by the PTI that all of those arrested will face military courts.
“The remaining will be tried by ordinary courts,” he said in a presser in a bid to clear the air regarding the government’s crackdown against those allegedly involved in the May 9 mayhem.
Sharing details about the legal action taken so far against the vandals who had attacked government and military installations, the interior minister said that following the riots, 499 First Information Reports had been registered in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Rana Sanaullah said that 33 suspects, 19 in Punjab and 14 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had been handed over to the military following attacks on army installations during violent protests in the country on May 9. “Of these, 88 have been registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act, while 411 have been registered on other charges.”
Sanaullah further shared that 3,944 suspects had been arrested in the two provinces, adding 2,588 of them were taken into custody from Punjab, while 1,099 were arrested by KP authorities. The interior minister added that another 5,536 arrests were made in other cases; however, of these, 80% have been released on bail. Moreover, in a bid to clear the air regarding the military courts, he categorically denied rumours that all cases would be tried by military courts and explained that only seven of the 499 cases are being processed to be tried in military courts.
