A total of 319 cases were recorded across the province related to the May 9-10 incident.
Protesters throw stones after police fired tear gas to disperse them in Lahore on May 9, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
PESHAWAR:
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to withdraw more than 55 cases pending in various courts against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in connection with the violent protests that followed the arrest of PTI founding president Imran Khan on May 9 and 10. The decision comes after formal approval granted by the provincial cabinet.
According to official records, a total of 319 cases were recorded across the province related to the incidents on May 9 and 10. Most of these cases have already been concluded and many accused have been acquitted or acquitted by the courts due to lack of evidence. Currently, 55 cases remain under trial and will be withdrawn once the minutes of the cabinet meeting are published.
The government has also appointed Additional Advocate General Inam Yousafzai as special prosecutor to oversee matters related to terrorism-related cases.
KP Advocate General Shah Faisal Uthmankhel said that while 319 cases were initially registered, not all of them contained sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). In several cases, decisions were taken following the submission of written responses, while in others the responses were still pending. The 55 unanswered cases are those that are scheduled for withdrawal.
He further stated that 29 cases under the ATA were still active, while 23 had already been concluded, including eight acquittals.
The remaining cases were transferred to regular courts after determining that the provisions of the ATA were not applicable.
Currently, six terrorism-related cases remain pending. One has already been submitted for retirement and responses on the remaining five are in process. Once completed, all cases for May 9 and 10 will be concluded.
Uthmankhel added that after the minutes of the cabinet meeting are officially published, petitions will be filed in the relevant courts to withdraw the remaining cases. After discussions, the government hopes that no cases from May 9 or 10 will remain active.
Meanwhile, a separate report on pending cases in the Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATC) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was also released. According to the report, there are currently 416 cases pending in the 10 ATC courts in the province.
Peshawar tops the list with 192 cases pending in its three ATC courts. The report notes that 100 cases were resolved during November, with Peshawar alone resolving 57. However, the ATC courts in Buner, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan did not decide a single case during the same period.
