Protestors to be tried under military, anti-terror laws; Attacking Air Force planes not a joke
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that the protestors that attacked military installations following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 will be tried “according to their laws as per the Constitution”.
The premier maintained that those found to be guilty of involvement in attacks on civilian state installations will be tried under anti-terrorism laws and those guilty of vandalising sensitive military installations will be tried under the army act.
“This is not a joke,” the premier exclaimed as he addressed a press conference taking stock of the damage caused by the protestors.
“The events related to May 9, even at the cost of my reputation, I would admit would go down in history as a Black Day,” said PM Shehbaz.
“The terrorism committed by the mob on orders of Imran Niazi [Khan] achieved goals that even the worst enemies of the country could not in the past 75 years,” he continued.
He drew similarities between the sensitive state installations attacked by the angry mobs and terrorist attacks the country has witnessed in the past.
“It has been decided [by the government] that no individual will be spared, whether they were involved in planning, instigation, propagating foul words [against the state] or vandalism,” he said, “nobody will be allowed to run away from the law”.
The meeting was then briefed by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and acting chief minister Punjab as well as secretary prosecution Punjab on the progress of cases against those involved in the protests based on reports by provincial governments of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.
“It has been decided that everyone involved in the May 9 events, the planners, abusers or anyone, will be punished as per the law and Constitution,” the prime minister said while addressing a meeting in Lahore, summoned to review the law and order situation.
Terming May 9 the ‘darkest day in Pakistan’s history’, PM Shehbaz likened the “PTI’s violence” to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. “TTP set fire to the Jinnah house in Ziarat and the PTI set fire to Jinnah House in Lahore,” he said.
“TTP attacked the GHQ [General Headquarters] and the PTI also did the same,” the premier said, recalling that the Radio Pakistan office in Peshawar was also vandalised during the May 9 riots.
The prime minister said PTI chairman Imran Khan and his followers “stoked terrorism and violence that amounted to anti-state acts”. “They caused damage to such a huge extent that even the enemies of Pakistan could not do in the last 75 years”, he added.
Unfortunately, he observed, these Pakistanis turned into enemies of the country and carried out attacks. “Such agonizing incidents will continue to haunt the nation,” the prime minister regretted.
Seeking progress on the legal proceedings against the culprits, the prime minister reiterated that during previous meetings, it was decided that anyone involved in the incidents of planning, instigating, sloganeering and vandalism would not escape the iron claws of law.
About damages caused to the civilian buildings, it was decided that the cases would be tried under the Anti-Terrorism Act and those on military installations would be proceeded under the relevant laws, he maintained.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that it was not a joke that terrorists attacked airforce installations in Karachi and then scores of “Imran’s people set fire to the plane in Mianwali” that was used against the enemy.
“I had requested the Punjab chief minister about the anti-terrorism courts, prosecutors, FIRs […] and I told the interior minister and DG IB to fulfill their responsibilities as well,” he said in regard to the May 9 riots trials.
“It will be remembered as the day when terrorism was carried out against the state over the orders of Imran Niazi,” he said addressing a meeting on the law and order situation in the country.
