May 9 to be remembered as ‘dark day’: Zardari

President Asif Zardari said on Wednesday that May 9, 2023, would always be remembered as a dark day in Pakistan’s history, when a politically-instigated mob ran amok across the country, damaging public property and military installations.

In a message in the eve of the first anniversary of the riots, the president condemned the violence, saying that the unfortunate incidents severely tarnished the country’s image, which only served the interests of Pakistan’s enemies.

He termed the mob attacks an attempt to challenge the writ of the state, undermine the rule of law and weaken the institutions. He emphasised that those responsible for the May 9 violence should be held accountable according to the law.

The president said that peaceful demonstrations and constructive criticism were the essence of democracy, and emphasising that the Constitution enshrined the fundamental rights to assembly and expression.

Nonetheless, he underscored the importance of exercising “these rights with utmost responsibility, adhering strictly to the bounds of constitutional and legal provisions”. Any attempt to misuse “these rights to incite violence will never be tolerated”, he warned.

“We have never seen such vandalism in responsible democracies, with violent mobs wreaking havoc on state properties for political gains,” the president said. He expressed pride in Pakistan’s armed forces and its institutions, which had been a vanguard in defending the nation against various threats.

Zardari observed that Pakistan faced numerous challenges, and such irresponsible acts by political forces not only hindered the progress achieved as a nation, but further exacerbated socioeconomic challenges.

“The current political situation demands that all political parties work towards promoting tolerance, democratic values, and political dialogue, and provide a clear direction to the nation,” he said, urging political parties, parliament, media, and civil society to strengthen democracy by upholding rule of law.

The president also condemned the malicious social media campaign against the state institutions, saying that a mechanism should be evolved to check and counter such disinformation campaigns.

He called for harnessing the potential of youth for the country’s benefit, rather than instigating them against state institutions. He also called for collective efforts to build a better future for generations to come and putting an end to political polarisation and hatred.

Read: ‘Ready to face inquiry into 2014 sit-in’, Imran responds to military flak

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that May 9 tragic incidents were the biggest conspiracy orchestrated to disrupt the country’s development, and harm its defence and integrity.

He strongly condemned the attacks on military installations and defiling of the martyrs’ memorials on May 9 last year – the darkest day in the history of Pakistan. “Such a tragedy had never ever been witnessed that was aimed to weaken the country,” he said.

Tarar said the authorities concerned had irrefutable evidence against the perpetrators of May 9 incidents, and their faces would be exposed before the public. The acts of vandalism and arson were the heinous crimes that the enemies of Pakistan had never dared to even think of,” the minister added.

The minister reiterated that the cases of those involved in the May 9 incidents should have reached their logical conclusion with strict punishments. He urged a public debate on what punishment had been given to the perpetrators so far, and called for a strict action against them to set an example for future.

“You could take out a procession to raise voice … but the objective of the May 9 incidents was not to protest but to spread chaos. In viral videos, it could be seen how the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provoked party workers to attack the government and defence installations.”

The minister said that the country’s economy was now taking off as all the economic indicators were on upward trajectory. All the international financial institutions were making positive predictions about Pakistan’s economy.

The minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would address a gathering in the connection with the May 9 tragedy at the Convention Centre. He added that a special meeting of the federal cabinet had also been called on Thursday (today), which would be addressed by Prime Minister Shehbaz.

“The leadership of political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, National Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan had been specially invited to the meeting, he added.

Separately, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the May 9 as yet another dark chapter in the nation’s history and urged that justice must prevail for the perpetrators, who attacked Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s residence, and military installations, last year.

According to the press release from the Bilawal House Media Cell, he said that the violence on May 9 was a malevolent scheme aimed at sowing chaos and enforcing fascism in the country. He added that the instigator behind the strongly condemnable events was well-known to everyone.

Bilawal further said that leaking classified documents and attacking military installations was not politics. “It’s anti-national [act],” he said. He supported the demand for a judicial inquiry, overseen by the chief justice, but emphasised that all parties, including the PTI, must commit to accepting whatever decision the judicial commission arrived at.