Islamabad [Pakistan], September 29 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has rejected the probe report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) into the May 9 protests. PTI has called the investigation a "part of conspiracies against the party and the chairman," Pakistan-based ARY News reported.
In a statement, a PTI spokesperson said that evidence proved that the PTI chief has no relation with the May 9 incidents. The party's spokesperson called the JIT report "fabricated" and added that it was a shameful attempt to protect the real culprits, ARY News reported.
The spokesperson said that the PTI chairman Imran Khan condemned the May 9 riots in the Supreme Court (SC). According to the PTI spokesperson, Imran Khan's condemnation remarks were also made part of the verdict announced by the apex court.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf demanded an independent and high-powered judicial investigation into the May 9 incidents. PTI has announced that it would approach the court against the JIT's report, according to ARY News report.
Joint investigation teams formed to investigate the violence after Imran Khan’s arrest in relation to a graft case in May have declared more than 900 activists, including the former prime minister and other party bigwigs, prime suspects in a dozen cases and submitted challans (charge sheets) to this effect in an anti-terrorism court on Thursday, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.
According to Lahore police, Imran Khan and more than 900 other party leaders and activists nominated in the May 9 cases have been "declared guilty of serious offences," Dawn reported.
DIG Operations Imran Kishwar said, "We have declared them prime accused in 12 out of the total 14 cases registered under the anti-terrorism act and other charges at Lahore’s various police stations… [and] challans have been submitted in the ATC."
He said the JITs obtained “sufficient evidence” against the nominated people, including PTI chairman Imran Khan, former Punjab Governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, former provincial ministers Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, Yasmin Rashid and others.
He further said fashion designer Khadija Shah, Sanam Javed, and some other PTI activists were also nominated in the cases. The officer said that the evidence was based on reports received from Pemra, the Federal Investigation Agency, and military authorities, according to Dawn report.
DIG Operations said that the digital and photogrammetric evidence, and voice messages of the suspects “confirmed the allegations” levelled against them in more than a dozen cases registered at different police stations in the provincial capital.
The police officer said that more than 900 accused people had been nominated in the FIRs lodged at Lahore’s various police stations, including Sarwar Road, Race Course, and Model Town.
He further said that investigations were being carried out in two other cases related to the May 9 violent attacks and investigation teams would complete and submit the challans in these cases at the earliest, Dawn reported.
On Thursday, the prosecution submitted challans in an anti-terrorism court (ATC) against PTI leaders and hundreds of workers, holding them “guilty” of multiple charges in cases related to the May 9 riots.
Notably, violent clashes erupted across Pakistan after the former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 9.
The protests were held in remote and major cities of Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad. During the protests, army installations and the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore were also attacked.
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