Imran Khan should openly condemn May 9 violence: President Alvi

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday asserted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan should openly condemn the May 9 events, wherein the military installations including General Headquarters (GHQ) and Corps Commander House Lahore were attacked, ARY News reported.

In an interview with a private news channel, the President has condemned the May 9 events – the day when military installations were attacked following PTI chairman Imran Khan’s arrest – and called for a Supreme Court-led probe into the violence.

President Alvi suggested Imran Khan to openly condemn the May 9 violence.

He also added that during the trials, the suspects’ human rights should be respected and they shouldn’t be tortured. “The people involved should be punished in line with the law,” he said.

May 9 events

Violent clashes broke out across Pakistan after former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday.

The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers are 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 and Corps Commander’s house in Lahore came under attack during a protest of PTI workers.

Imran Khan’s arrest

Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan was arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Tuesday.

The PTI chief was taken into custody by Rangers personnel, who were acting on the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) warrant, from the premises of Islamabad High Court where the former premier had gone to seek bail in multiple cases registered against him.

Later, Islamabad High Court (IHC) barred authorities from arresting PTI Chairman Imran Khan in all cases, even those are undisclosed, registered across the country until Monday (May 15).

The court also granted protective bail to PTI chief in three terrorism cases registered against him in Lahore and stopped authorities from arresting him till May 17 in any case registered in Islamabad after May 9.

Justice Jahangiri also approved Imran’s protective bail in a case pertaining to the death of Zille Shah — a PTI worker who was killed during a party rally in Lahore earlier this year — for 10 days against surety bonds worth Rs50,000.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted protective bail to former prime minister Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case, a day after the Supreme Court ruled his arrest “unlawful”.