Ali Amin Gandapur secures pre-arrest bail in May 9 cases

RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday secured pre-arrest bail in 11 cases related to May 9 riots, wherein military installations came under attack following PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest, ARY News reported.

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi granted the bail to PTI leader in 11 cases registered at Civil Lines Police Station.

ATC Judge Malik Ijaz Asif also exempted Ali Amin Gandapur from appearing in the next hearing, scheduled for tomorrow.

Earlier in the day, ATC also granted bail to PTI leaders, including Shibli Faraz, Raja Basharat, Zartaj Gul, Zain Qureshi and others in the cases registered against them following May 9 protests.

Violent clashes erupted across Pakistan after former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023.

The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their chairman’s arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order.

Army installations, prominently Corps Commander’s house in Lahore, had come under attack during the protests by PTI workers.

It is pertinent to mention that the PTI founder is named as main accused in all the May 9 riots cases.

DG ISPR Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif on Tuesday said that any dialogue with the PTI could happen only if it “apologises sincerely publicly in front of the nation.

Commenting on the prospects of dialogue with any faction, Maj Gen Chaudhry said: “No talks will be held with any political leader, or group which attacks its own army and indulges in propaganda [against them]”.

“There can be no dialogue with an anarchist group,” he noted adding that the “only way forward for the anarchists [group] is to apologise sincerely, abandon the politics of hate and indulge in constructive politics [instead]”.