RAWALPINDI:
The clemency petitions of 19 convicted individuals involved in the May 9, 2023 riots have been accepted on humanitarian grounds, the Inter-Services Public Relations Office (ISPR) announced on Thursday.
“After the promulgation of sentences for those convicted of the May 9 tragedy, they have exercised their right of appeal and have asked for clemency/remission of their sentences,” the ISPR added.
“A total of 67 convicts have submitted their mercy petitions. 48 petitions have been processed before the appellate courts, while the petitions of 19 convicts have been accepted exclusively on humanitarian grounds in accordance with the law. The mercy petitions of the remainder will be decided in due course of time, following the legal process,” he said.
Those whose sentence has been remitted are: 1) Muhammad Ayaz s/o Sahibzada Khan; 2) Sami Ullah s/o Meer papa Khan; 3) Laeeq Ahmed s/o Manzoor Ahmed: 4) Amjad Ali s/o Manzoor Ahmed; 5) Yasir Nawaz s/o Ameer Nawaz Khan; 6) Said Alam s/o Maaz Ullah Khan; 7) Zahid Khan s/o Muhammad Nabi; 8) Muhammad Suleman s/o Said Ghani Jan; 9) Hamza Sharif s/o Muhammad Azam; 10) Muhammad Salman s/o Zahid Nisar; 11) Asher Butt s/o Muhammad Arshad Butt, 12) Muhammad Waqas s/o Malik Muhammad Khalil; 13) Sufayan Idrees s/o Idrees Ahmed; 14) Muneeb Ahmed, s/o Naveed Ahmed Butt; 15) Muhammad Ahmed s/o Muhammad Nazir; 16) Muhammad Nawaz s/o Abdul Samad; 17) Muhammad Ali s/o Muhammad Boota; 18) Muhammad Bilawal s/o Manzoor Hussain; 19) Muhammad Ilyas s/o Muhammad Fazal Haleem.
All of them will be released once the procedural formalities have been completed.
All those convicted retain the right of appeal and other legal remedies under the law and the Constitution, he added.
“The remission of sentences is a testament to the strength of due process and equity, which ensures that justice is done taking into account the principles of compassion and mercy,” the statement added.
In early April 2024, 20 convicts were also released on humanitarian grounds in accordance with the law.
The development came less than a month after military courts sentenced a total of 85 civilians involved in the riots of May 9, 2023. On December 21 of last year, military courts sentenced 25 civilians to prison terms. prison that ranged between two and 10 years for the events of May 9. . A week later, another 60 civilians were sentenced to prison terms of between two and ten years for their role in the nationwide unrest.
Lawyer Gohar’s reaction
PTI Chairman Advocate Gohar Ali Khan, in response to a question on the development, termed the military’s decision as “not a development”.
“PTI’s position has not changed,” he said while talking to reporters today.
“No civilian should be tried before a military court. It remains unconstitutional and the issue will be decided by the Supreme Court.”
While calling the remission “a good thing,” Gohar said, “There should be no stigma of conviction by military courts. This should be a civilian court.”
the riots
On May 9, 2023, violent protests broke out across the country following the brief arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan. At least 10 people were killed and hundreds injured, while approximately 40 public buildings and military installations were damaged.
These included the Lahore Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House) and Askari Tower in Lahore, the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Office in Faisalabad, the FC Fort in Chakdara, the of Radio Pakistan in Peshawar, the Swat Expressway Toll Plaza and the PAF Mianwali base.
In total, 62 outbreaks of violence were documented, causing a loss of Rs 2.5 billion to the country, of which, according to the State, Rs 1.98 billion was suffered by the army. The army says that the events were a coordinated attack by the PTI leadership.
