RAWALPINDI: In light of the May 9 verdict handed by the military courts to 25 perpetrators, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has stated that justice will ‘truly be served’ once mastermind and planners, who incited violence and arson are punished.
The military’s media wing on Saturday said the nation witnessed tragic incidents of politically provoked violence and arson at multiple places, marking a ‘dark chapter’ in the history of Pakistan.
“Field General Court Martial (FGCM) have in [the] first phase promulgated the punishments to 25 accused,” the military’s media wing said, about the suspects who resorted to violence during the May 9 protests. Building on a sustained narrative of hate and lies, the ISPR said, politically orchestrated attacks were carried out on the installations of the armed forces including the desecration of the monuments of Shuhada.
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It said, however, justice would “truly be fully served” once the mastermind and planners of the May 9 tragedy are punished as per the ‘constitution’ and ‘laws of the land’.
“The state of Pakistan will continue to vigorously pursue dispensation of justice to ensure the establishment of the inviolable writ of the state, so as to uproot this evil of violence-driven disruptive and destructive politics based on hate, divisiveness and baseless propaganda.”
In May 2023, following the arrest of former premier Imran Khan, the nation had witnessed incidents of politically motivated incitement, violence, and arson.
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On December 5, the Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC) court had indicted Imran Khan on charges of inciting his supporters to attack the country’s military and its installations in 2023. Similarly, on December 20,14 senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, were indicted in the GHQ attack case.
As many as 113 individuals have been formally charged in connection with the attacks, which included an unprecedented assault on the military’s GHQ in Rawalpindi.
The GHQ attack remains one of the most significant incidents in the country’s turbulent political landscape. Protesters allegedly stormed the military headquarters in Rawalpindi, vandalised Lahore’s Jinnah House, and targeted Mianwali Air Base, among other locations. The government claims to possess irrefutable evidence linking PTI leadership to the violence, a charge vehemently denied by the party.