May 9 Riots

The May 9 riots were a series of violent clashes that took place on 9 May 2023, in Pakistan. Following the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's leader, Imran Khan, from the grounds of the Islamabad High Court, demonstrations held by PTI's supporters descended into violent riots. There was extensive damage done to government and military facilities as a result of the protests fast becoming violent and engaging law enforcement. The government responded with a mobile internet blockade and a crackdown against PTI leaders, workers, and supporters, as well as those perceived to be allied to the party's cause within the media and legal fraternity. Trials of civilians within military courts were also initiated and are being challenged in the country's Supreme Court. The PTI alleges that the incidents of 9 May were a false flag operation designed by the military establishment to disintegrate the party and frame Imran Khan.

Background

Imran Khan, the PTI leader and Pakistani politics, was detained on 9 May 2023. The government, under the direction of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, claimed to have proof of Khan's participation and accused him of being the mastermind behind the assaults. PTI supporters protested Khan's detention in a number of cities, including in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan.

Riots and violence

The PTI-organized protests descended into violence, causing extensive havoc and damage. Arson, vandalism, and assaults on governmental and military facilities were committed by protesters. Anti-terrorism legislation was used, and numerous prosecutions were filed against those responsible for the riots. At least five PTI workers were killed by police who fired live ammunition; one death happened in Quetta, while the remaining four happened in Peshawar.

Governmental response

The Punjab Home Department established 53 Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) made up of police personnel to investigate the cases reported in relation to the riots thoroughly in reaction to the mounting violence. With the consent of the Punjab cabinet subcommittee on law and order, several JITs were created. Each JIT was given a prosecutor from the prosecution department to help with the investigation.

Arrests and proceedings

Over a thousand people have reportedly been arrested in connection with the rioting in Lahore alone, according to reports from the Punjab Police. According to reports, 3,200 alleged rioters were detained across Punjab. Numerous cases were reported to the police, the bulk of which were covered by anti-terrorism regulations. The most severely affected cities were Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan, with variable numbers of cases reported in each place.

Aftermath

Crackdown against the PTI

Pakistan's overall political climate was significantly impacted by the riots. A crackdown was initiated against PTI leaders and workers, with thousands arrested, with rights groups raising concerns regarding arbitrary arrests, custodial torture, and forced disappearances. PTI leaders were forced to quit party/party positions in televised press conferences. Businesses of PTI leaders who did not quit the party were sealed. Family members of PTI leaders who went into hiding were harassed by police and military intelligence forces. In many instances, their houses were raided late at night and ransacked; valuables were also seized; the dowry for Mian Aslam Iqbal's daughter's wedding was seized by Punjab Police; and the homes of Lal Chand Malhi and Ali Nawaz Awan were demolished. A crackdown was also initiated on vocal women supporters of Khan's party - the most prominent of which was Khadija Shah, a businesswoman and granddaughter of former Pakistani Army Chief, Asif Nawaz Janjua. Former Federal Ministers, Shehryar Khan Afridi and Ali Muhammad Khan, former Governor Punjab Omer Sarfraz Cheema, and former Punjab provincial ministers, Yasmin Rashid and Mehmood-ur-Rasheed have been incarcerated since the end of the riots. Even once released by the courts, they were immediately re-arrested in other cases; Khan has been rearrested six times, while Afridi, and Rashid have been rearrested twice. Cheema's wife was arrested as she came to attend her husband's hearing. Afridi was not allowed to attend his brother's funeral and was kept in inhumane conditions in a 'death cell' reserved for those on death row.

Media censorship and abduction of journalists

Mobile internet coverage was suspended as riots spread throughout the country. The ban effected gig workers, including those working for Uber, Foodpanda, and Careem, as well as freelancers and remote workers who relied on mobile internet. It was estimated that during the three days that mobile internet remained suspended, Pakistan's telecom companies bore a loss of , while the country's software export industry lost . Internet was fully restored across the country on 13 May 2023. The ban was criticized by GSMA as it urged to restore internet services in the country.

Access to social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, was also restricted in the aftermath of the riots. Both the blockage of internet and social media were implemented by Pakistan Telecom Authority after a notification for the same was issued by the interior ministry, under Rana Sanaullah. Access to social media was fully restored by 16 May 2023. However, the government has hinted at another social media blockage with defense minister, Khawaja Asif, claiming that "the script of the May 9 violence was prepared via social media”.

Several leading media houses were called to a secret meeting by the Pakistan Army in which they were directed to ban all coverage of Imran Khan. As a result, Khan's name disappeared overnight from all local print and electronic media, with journalists euphemistically referring to him as ''"Qasim ke Abba"'' (Qasim's father) as the moniker became a top twitter trend in Pakistan.

Journalists that were seen as aligned with the PTI were targeted. Imran Riaz Khan, one of the most popular journalists on Pakistani social media, was kidnapped from outside Sialkot Central Jail on 11 May 2023 after being initially detained by Punjab Police. He has since remained missing as the chief of Punjab Police, Usman Anwar, put the blame on military agencies for his disappearance in front of the Lahore High Court, and expressed his inability to locate the journalist. Another prominent journalist, Sami Ibrahim, head of Bol News was picked up from Islamabad on 24 May 2023 before being released on 30 May. Reporters without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists raised concern over the abductions.

Trials of civilians in military courts

In the immediate aftermath, the administration attempted to transfer a number of cases to military courts for trial due to the seriousness of the crimes committed during the riots. Four accused people involved in targeting defense sites had their transfer allowed by an anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad, while eight accused people involved in the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) had their transfer granted by an ATC in Rawalpindi. Additionally, the commanding officer received 16 suspects, among them an ex-PTI Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA), who was charged with looting and vandalizing Corp Commander House in Lahore.

Later, trials of as many as 102 defendants, who were deemed to be involved in attacks on military installation, were transferred from anti-terrorism courts to military courts. The move drew widespread criticism as military courts have been deemed as opaque systems shrouded in secrecy with little regard for human rights and legal Procedures due process by both the United Nations and International Commission of Jurists. Several constitutional petitions were made before the Supreme Court of Pakistan to declare the trials unconstitutional, including by the former Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, who deemed it as "militarization of justice". Pakistan People's Party leader and prominent lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, was also one of the petitioners as he considered the move as "a complete anathema to the constitutional separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary, the inalienable right of every Pakistani to be treated in accordance with law, and the fundamental rights of life, liberty, fair trial, and due process”. Imran Khan, also filed a civil petition separately. The petitions have been clubbed together into a military courts case with a 6-member Supreme Court larger bench hearing it.

Targeting of lawyers

The legal fraternity, particularly those demanding the upholding of the constitution of Pakistan and cessation of trials of civilians in military courts, were also targeted. A prominent lawyer, Uzair Bhandari, was abducted and later released after he left Imran Khan's residence after consulting with him on the matter of military courts. The house of Advocate Latif Khosa, former Governor of Punjab, was attacked by armed men after he made a speech against the interim government in Punjab and the trial of civilians in military courts.

Judicial Inquiry Demands

After the 2024 general elections, several political figures advocated for a judicial inquiry into the May 9 riots. Ali Amin Gandapur, the newly elected Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), demanded a judicial inquiry in his inaugural speech. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), endorsed Gandapur's call for a judicial inquiry during a session of the National Assembly. However, Ahsan Iqbal, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), expressed conditional support for a judicial inquiry. He voiced his backing only if the inquiry also investigated similar incidents involving the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

References

{{Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
2023 in Pakistani politics
May 2023 events in Pakistan
2022–2023 Pakistan political unrest
Protests in Pakistan
History of Punjab, Pakistan
Law enforcement operations
Arson in Pakistan