PHC seeks record in May 9 cases

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday issued notices to all concerned parties and sought relevant record on the provincial government's request to withdraw multiple cases registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in connection with the May 9 and 10 protests that followed the arrest of the party's founder.

A single-member bench comprising Justice Kamran Hayat Mian Khel heard the appeals filed by the provincial government against the Anti-Terrorism Court's (ATC) decision to reject its withdrawal applications.

Special Prosecutor Inamullah Khan Yousafzai, appearing for the government, informed the court that the provincial cabinet had decided to withdraw the cases. He said the Home Department had also issued a formal notification after approval, and no one had challenged the cabinet's decision or the notification so far.

The prosecutor argued that the cases were registered on political grounds and lacked any evidence. "Educated individuals were arrested and implicated in these cases for political reasons," he told the court.

When Justice Kamran Hayat inquired about the number of cases, the prosecutor replied that there were three separate cases involving more than 40 named individuals, none of whom had any evidence against them.

The judge remarked: "How can you say these cases were made on political grounds? If the cases were not proper, was any action taken against the concerned SHO? Has the record you sought been received?

The special prosecutor informed the court that the required record from the relevant police stations had not yet been received.

After hearing the arguments, the court issued notices to all relevant parties, directed them to submit the complete record, and adjourned the hearing.

The development comes as the provincial government attempts to close cases stemming from the violent protests that erupted across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan.