AN ANTI-TERRORISM court in Pakistan on Thursday said the actions of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan were similar to that of a “terrorist” in a case linked to the May 9 violence and ruled that he had delegated the task of attacking military installations, Government properties, and police officials to party leaders to exert pressure for his release. The 71-year-old PTI founder and hundreds of his party colleagues are being tried under multiple cases, including one under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the May 9, 2023, violent protests by his supporters that damaged key military installations across Pakistan.

 

The unprecedented protests erupted across Pakistan on May 9 last year after Khan was arrested in an alleged corruption case. Khan’s party workers allegedly vandalised a dozen military installations, including the Jinnah House (Lahore Corps Commander House), Mianwali Airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi too was attacked by the mob for the first time. Khan’s PakistanTehreek-eInsaf (PTI) party termed the anti-terrorism court’s ruling an “absurd order” and declared that it would launch a protest. The anti-terrorism court (ATC) at Lahore had earlier this week dismissed prearrest bail to Khan in three cases related to the May 9 riots and allowed police his continued custody for interrogation.

 

In a detailed order issued here on Thursday, ATC Judge Khalid Arshad said: “An extraordinary concession of pre-arrest bail is meant for an innocent person and not the petitioner, Imran Khan Niazi, who hatched, materialised alleged criminal conspiracy along with the senior PTI leadership and protesters/accused having a common object to wage a war against the state to topple over the Government.”