- Total of 67 convicts present petitions for clemency: ISPR.
- 19 humanitarian appeals were approved.
- Those convicted will be released once the formalities have been completed.
RAWALPINDI: Sentences of as many as 19 convicts have been reprieved after they sought mercy, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.
A total of 67 convicts have filed petitions for clemency, of which 48 have been processed before the appeal courts, while the petitions of 19 convicts have been accepted exclusively on humanitarian grounds, in accordance with the law, the media section added. army communication.
Noting that the remaining mercy petitions will be decided in due course, after the legal process, the ISPR said that the 19 persons, whose appeals have been accepted, will be released after completing the procedural formalities.
Referring to the release of 20 convicts on humanitarian grounds in April 2024, the statement underlined the “robustness of due process and fairness, which ensures that justice is done taking into account the principles of compassion and mercy.”
Providing details of legal technicalities, said legal expert Muneeb Farooq. Geographic news that appeals for pardon be presented to the Chief of the Army Staff.
The pardoned people, all of whom were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment, are among those sentenced on December 21 and 26, 2024. The military court had first punished 25 people and, a few days later, handed down sentences to 60 people.
The second batch of convicts also included Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s nephew Hassan Khan Niazi, who faces 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for his role in the Jinnah House incident.
Who has been pardoned?
- Muhammad Ayaz s/o Sahibzada Khan — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Main Gate FC Cantt Peshawar incident
- Sami Ullah, son of Meer Dad Khan, was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Bannu Cantt incident.
- Laeeq Ahmed s/o Manzoor Ahmed — was sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment, involved in the ISI office incident in Faisalabad
- Amjad Ali s/o Manzoor Ahmed — was sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment, involved in the ISI office incident in Faisalabad
- Yasir Nawaz s/o Ameer Nawaz Khan — was sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Punjab Regimental Center Mardan incident
- Said Alam s/o Maaz Ullah Khan — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Punjab Regimental Center Mardan incident
- Zahid Khan s/o Muhammad Nabi — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Mardan incident in the People’s Republic of China
- Muhammad Suleman s/o Said Ghani Jan — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the HQ Dir Scouts Timergara incident
- Hamza Sharif s/o Muhammad Azam — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the ISI office incident in Faisalabad
- Muhammad Salman s/o Zahid Nisar — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the ISI office incident in Faisalabad
- Asher Butt s/o Muhammad Arshad Butt — was sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment, involved in Rahwali Gate Gujranwala incident
- Muhammad Waqas s/o Malik Muhammad Khalil — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Rahwali Gate Gujranwala incident
- Sufayan Idrees s/o Idrees Ahmed — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Rahwali Gate Gujranwala incident
- Muneeb Ahmed s/o Naveed Ahmed Butt — was sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment, involved in Rahwali Gate Gujranwala incident
- Muhammad Ahmed s/o Muhammad Nazir — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Rahwali Gate Gujranwala incident
- Muhammad Nawaz s/o Abdul Samad — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Rahwali Gate incident Gujranwala
- Muhammad Ali s/o Muhammad Boota — was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment, involved in the ISI office incident in Faisalabad
- Muhammad Bilawal s/o Manzoor Hussain — was sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment, involved in the Jinnah House incident
- Muhammad Ilyas s/o Muhammad Fazal Haleem — was sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment, involved in the HQ Dir Scouts Timergara incident
The May 9 riots refer to the violent protests sparked by the arrest of the PTI founder in a corruption case in 2023.
The protests saw attacks on public and military facilities, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the Lahore Corps Commander’s House, also known as Jinnah House, and several others across the country.
The military trials were initially suspended following a Supreme Court ruling; However, the Constitutional Chamber ordered that the pending cases due to the previous order be finalized and sentences be announced in the cases of the accused involved in these violent incidents.
The party founded by Khan, while distancing itself from the violent protests, has not only demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9, but has also announced that it will challenge the sentences of the military courts and described the trial of civilians as “a flagrant violation.” of justice”.
The military court rulings have also earned a response from both the United States and the European Union, who have expressed concern about the development.
While the EU called the verdicts inconsistent with the obligations Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and called for the rulings to be made public, Washington said the military court “lacked judicial independence, transparency and guarantees of due process”.
