TOI correspondent from Islamabad: Pakistan’s military announced Saturday that 25 civilians have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for their alleged involvement in violent protests following the arrest of former PM Imran Khan on May 9 last year, which resulted in the death of at least eight people.
Khan’s supporters stormed govt buildings and military installations. The military’s statement detailed that the convictions relate primarily to attacks on key military sites, including Jinnah House (the Lahore corps commander’s residence), General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, and a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base in Mianwali.
The sentences were issued by Field General Court Martial as part of the first phase of trials. Supreme Court had earlier conditionally allowed military courts to pronounce verdicts for 85 civilians detained in connection with the riots.
The military statement highlighted that the convicts have the right to appeal and other legal recourses as guaranteed by law.
The May 9 violence led to the arrest of many politicians and supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party. PTI has denied involvement in the violence. However, govt and military maintain that the attacks were meticulously planned and executed by PTI brass.
Khan and his party have called for a judicial probe into the May 9 events, claiming the violence was a “false flag” operation intended to suppress PTI.
PTI condemned the military court’s decision. National Assembly leader of opposition Omar Ayub wrote on X: “Military court sentences against civilians rejected. The detainees are civilians and cannot be tried by military courts.” He labelled the process as “kangaroo courts”.
PTI’s US chapter criticised the rulings. “Colonels and majors, acting as judges, have sentenced civilians it tried in military courts. These civilians were held for over a year in harsh conditions, with many tortured into giving false confessions,” it posted on X.
Amnesty International also denounced the military court’s decision, describing it as “an intimidation tactic, designed to crack down on dissent”.
Army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) referred to the protests as “politically provoked violence and arson”. ISPR said further sentences for the remaining accused will be announced once the legal process is completed.