May 9 was staged to target PTI founder: Omar Ayub

ISLAMABAD: In an explosive speech, Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub once again rejected allegations that his party was involved in the May 9 riots, claiming that the events were staged to target PTI founder Imran Khan, ARY News reported on Monday.

Speaking on the National Assembly floor, Ayub – who is also PTI’s Secretary General – reiterated the party’s demanded of constitution of judicial commission to probe the May 9 events, wherein military installations came under attack following arrest of deposed prime minister Imran Khan.

He pointed out that the country suffered immense damages following the assassination of former prime minister Benzair Bhutto in 2007. “The violence that broke out in the country following Benazir’s assassination resulted in $2 billion in losses,” he added.

Ayub further said that scores of trains, locomotives, and railway stations were also damaged in the violent protests. “Karachi alone suffered damages worth Rs80 to Rs90 billion in three to four days,” he added.

“I want to ask this House and you that how many people were arrested and how many inquiries were ordered. How many people were put behind bars and how many people were sentenced,” the opposition leader asked.

Despite billions of rupees loss, the PTI leader said no action was taken against those involved in the violence in 2007. He maintained that “May 9 was an excuse and Imran Khan was the target”.

He also denounced the government’s stance on May 9 as “victim-blaming”, saying that all evidence including CCTV footage related to the May 9 violence were disappeared to obstruct justice.

Meanwhile, Omar Ayub also read out Article 19, which is about free speech, and decried the ban on X and media censorship, saying, “This speech may not even be broadcast.”

However, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq reassured the opposition leader that it was.

Earlier, PTI took a major U-turn on holding dialogue with establishment following the press conference of Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), seeking apology from the party over May 9 events.

Speaking at ARY News programme ‘Khabar’, PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that his party does not want to engage in talks with anyone, emphasising that it only seeks to uphold “constitutional and legal supremacy”.

The former National Assembly (NA) speaker said that PTI believes in the supremacy of the Constitution and the law, and wants all institutions to work within their constitutional limits.

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]”.

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“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]”.