May 9 violence: In a major development, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has booked in six cases related to the May 9 violence, where several military installations, government buildings, a metro bus station, along with the Army Headquarters (GHQ) were vandalised by his supporters. 

Three of the cases against Khan were registered on May 9 and the rest of them on the next day, Geo News reported citing sources. Pakistan’s Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) are probing all the cases, added sources.

On May 9, the supporters of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party vandalised over 20 military installations and government buildings, including the Lahore Corps Commander House, Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was also attacked by the mob for the first time.

The violent protests came in wake of Khan’s arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on corruption charges. He was later released on bail.

Khan was not named in any of the 28 cases that were earlier registered in Rawalpindi, and the latest development came after suspects provided certain statements, in consultation with legal experts, said the sources.

The death toll in the violent clashes that gripped Pakistan on May stands at 10 while hundreds were injured. The PTI claims 40 of its workers died in firing by security persons. Thousands of Khan’s supporters were arrested after the violence. 

The violence elicited a strong reaction from the government and military with vows of taking action against the culprits, leading to an ongoing crackdown against those involved. Law enforcement agencies have arrested over 10,000 workers of Khan’s Pakistan party across Pakistan, 4,000 of them from Punjab.

Current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier said that those who were involved in the violence would not be spared, adding that ‘rioters’ would not be allowed to escape the law. He also termed the May 9 violence as a “Black Day” in the history of the country.

The Pakistan Army has sacked several top officers, including a Lieutenant-General, for failing to protect military installations during the riots.

Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him for his independent foreign policy on Russia, China and Afghanistan.

(with agency inputs)

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