JIT finds Imran ‘mastermind’ of May 9 riots

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on Thursday termed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and the party’s central, provincial, and local leadership as the masterminds behind the May 9 incidents, declaring that the Jinnah House was attacked with their consensus.

The JIT, constituted to probe into the May 9 incidents under the supervision of DIG Investigation Imran Kishwar, prepared the finding report which was later submitted before an anti-terrorism court declaring Imran and the top PTI leadership guilty of May 9 incidents by inciting people through a fake stance.

“Imran, with the cooperation of central, provincial and local leaderships, constituted this plan to push Pakistan towards civil war and the public was incited throught fake and self-created stories,” the JIT report revealed.
The PTI used public power for its vested interests so that the then top military officers, federal, and provincial governments could be forced to tender their resignations.

Through a fake cipher story, the PTI chief incited the public against the then chief of army staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, saying the armed forces were doing political engineering to expel him from power.

Then the public was informed that Imran had tips that he might be gunned down like late Salmaan Taseer, the former Punjab governor.

In a similar way, the top PTI leadership by design took this mission ahead. Efforts were made to divide armed forces by inciting low-ranked officers to not obey the orders of the seniors and sometimes the police officers were threatened by telling them that let the people decide whose government they wanted and if the police intervened, the PTI would treat them like a work of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

The media, social media, and other platforms were used for this purpose.

The people were presented fake pictures under the garb of true freedom and Jihad.

The people were incited to attack the state installations under the garb of protests. “There are substantial evidences which prove the guilt of PTI chief Imran Khan and his top leadership for incited people against the armed forces, putting the county at risk.”

The wave of protests stared when Imran was arrested on May 9, 2023 in Al-Qadir Trust case and the protests continued for three consecutive days.

The PTI workers on the direction of the PTI leadership attacked the Jinnah House, GHQ building, Core Headquarters, ISI offices, airbases, state installations, monuments of the martyred, Askari Tower, Military Library, residences of the armed forces officers, army selection centre, petrol pumps, set ablaze public properties and attacked several other sensitive places of the armed forces.

The top PTI leadership was on board either telephonically or through messages. The public was incited through social media messages and video clips, directing them to reach sensitive places, including the Jinnah House.
The geofencing of Dr Yasmin Rashid, Hammad Azhar, Mehmoodur Rasheed, Ijaz Chaudhry, Mian Alsam Iqbal and Murad Ras proved that they were engaged with the armed workers.

During investigation, it transpired that they were engaged before, after, and during attacks on the sensitive places.
The geofencing reports and CDRs showed that several accused who were earlier present at Zaman Park, were later found at Jinnah House at the time of attack.

Challans

After completing its investigation, the JIT submitted challans in 11 out of 14 total cases, declaring accused Umar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Rasheed, Yasmin, media activists Khadija Shah, Sanam Javed, Tayaba Raja, Alia Hamza and others guilty.

Separate FIRs were registered against them under different charges, including creating a law and order situation, chaos, attacking Jinnah House, setting ablaze Askari Tower, Shadman police station and public properties in response to former prime minister Imran’s arrest.