May 9 Riots
Date9 May 2023
Location
General Headquarters Pakistan
GoalsTo save Imran Khan from arrest
MethodsProtests, acts of vandalism, arson
Parties
Lead figures

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Chief Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi

Casualties
Death(s)5
ArrestedOver 5,615

The May 9 riots or 9/5 riots were a series of violent incidents that took place on 9 May 2023, in Pakistan. Following the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's head, 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's 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 in the military courts case. PTI alleges that the incidents of 9th May were a false flag operation designed by the Pakistani establishment to disintegrate PTI 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 Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan.[1][2]

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.[3][4] At least 5 workers of PTI were killed by police resorting to firing live ammunition; one death happened in Quetta, while the remaining four happened in Peshawar.[5][6]

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 May 9 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.[7][8][9]

Arrests and Proceedings

Over a thousand people have reportedly been arrested in connection with the rioting on May 9 in Lahore alone, according to reports from the Punjab Police. According to reports, 5,615 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 afflicted cities were Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan, with variable numbers of cases reported in each place.[10][11][12]

Aftermath

Crackdown Against PTI

Pakistan's overall political climate was significantly impacted by the riots on May 9.[13] A crackdown was initiated against PTI's leaders and workers, with thousands arrested, with rights groups raising concerns regarding arbitrary arrests, custodial torture, and forced disappearances.[14][15][16] PTI leaders were forced to quit party/party positions in televised press conferences.[17] Businesses of PTI leaders who did not quit the party were sealed.[18][19][20] Family members of PTI leaders who went into hiding were harassed by police and military intelligence forces.[21] 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.[22][23][24][25] 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.[26][27] 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 6 times, while Afridi, and Rashid have been rearrested twice.[15][15] [28][29][30] Cheema's wife was arrested as she came to attend her husband's hearing.[31] Afridi wasn't allowed to attend his brother's funeral and was kept in inhumane conditions in a 'death cell' reserved for those on death row.[32][33]

Media Censorship and Abduction of Journalists

Mobile internet coverage was suspended as riots spread throughout the country on 9th May. 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.[34] It was estimated that during the 3 days mobile internet remained suspended, Pakistan's telecom companies bore a loss of Rs. 2.49 billion (US$8.6 million), while the country's software export industry lost Rs. 10 billion (US$35 million).[35] The internet was fully restored across the country on 13 May 2023.[36] The ban was criticized by GSMA as it urged to restore internet services in the country.[37]

Access to social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, was also restricted in the aftermath of the riots.[38] 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.[39] Access to social media was fully restored by 16 May 2023.[40] 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”.[41]

Several leading media houses were called to a secret meeting by Pakistan Army in which they were directed to ban all coverage of Imran Khan.[42] Resultantly, 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.[43][44]

Journalists that were seen as aligned with 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.[45] 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 Lahore High Court, and expressed his inability to locate the journalist.[46] Another prominent journalist, Sami Ibrahim, head of Bol News was picked up from Islamabad on 24 May 2023 before being released on 30 May 2023.[47][48] Reporters without Borders and International Federation of Journalists raised concern over the abductions.[46][49]

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 May 9 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.[50][51][52]

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.[53] The movie drew widespread criticism as military courts have been deemed as opaque systems shrouded in secrecy with little regard for human rights and legal due process by both the United Nations and International Commission of Jurists.[54][55] Several constitutional petitions were made before the Supreme Court of Pakistan to declare the trials unconstitutional, including by the former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Jawwad S. Khawaja, who deemed it as "militarization of justice".[56][57] 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”.[58] Imran Khan, also filed a civil petition separately.[59] The petitions have been clubbed together into a military courts case with a 6-member Supreme Court larger bench hearing it.[60]

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.[61] 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.[62][63]

References

  1. ↑ "May 9 riots 'mastermind' Imran Khan to be tried in military court: Rana Sanaullah".
  2. ↑ "Imran will be tried in military courts for 'planning, executing' May 9 attacks: Rana Sanaullah". 30 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "May 9 riots: Over 1k held in city". June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Pakistani government to try violent protesters under army laws".
  5. ↑ "PTI worker killed, six injured in firing at Quetta protest rally". The Express Tribune. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  6. ↑ Shah, Amjad Ali (2023-05-11). "At least four killed, several hurt in Peshawar protest". Brecorder. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  7. ↑ "Punjab home dept notifies 53 JITs for May 9 riots". 28 May 2023.
  8. ↑ "May 9 vandalism: Punjab home department forms seven more JITs". 2 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "JITs tally reaches 61 as seven more teams formed". 2 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "May 9 riots: Over 1k held in city". June 2023.
  11. ↑ "May 9 protests: 3200 rioters arrested in Punjab". 15 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "LHC seeks report on identification of May 9 rioters".
  13. ↑ Omer, Nimo; Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (15 May 2023). "Why is Imran Khan at the centre of a political crisis in Pakistan?". The Guardian.
  14. ↑ "Pakistan: End crackdown on political opposition". Amnesty International. 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  15. 1 2 3 "Repeated arrests, filthy cells in Pakistan: Inside Sharif government's crackdown on PTI". Firstpost. 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  16. ↑ Shah, Saeed (2023-05-25). "Pakistan's Opposition Begins to Crack After Thousands Arrested". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  17. ↑ "'Forced divorces': Imran reacts to leaders' exodus from PTI". The Express Tribune. 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  18. ↑ Hussain, Abid. "Imran Khan supporters say their businesses targeted in Pakistan". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  19. ↑ "PTI's Patafi brothers' businesses sealed". DAWN.COM. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  20. ↑ "PTI ex-MPA Jaura's store, restaurant sealed". DAWN.COM. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  21. ↑ "Pakistan Army: More Than 100 Ex-PM Khan Supporters on Trial in Military Courts". VOA. 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  22. ↑ "Imran blasts govt for crossing all limits of 'barbarism'". Pakistan Today. 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  23. ↑ Malik, Mansoor (2023-06-05). "PTI defectors set up 'Democrats' group under Murad Raas". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  24. ↑ "PTI strongly condemns demolition of Lal Malhi's house". MM News. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  25. ↑ "PTI's Ali Nawaz Awan claims Islamabad administration partially demolished his house". DAWN.COM. 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  26. ↑ "Pakistan: How Khan crackdown imperils women in politics – DW – 06/12/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  27. ↑ "Khadija Shah, other PTI women supporters sent to jail on judicial remand". Pakistan Today. 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  28. ↑ "PTI's Ali Mohammad Khan rearrested". The Express Tribune. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  29. ↑ "Shehryar Afridi, Ali Muhammad Khan rearrested after release from Adiala Jail". Pakistan Today. 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  30. ↑ "Yasmin handed over to police on two-day physical remand". The Express Tribune. 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  31. ↑ "Omar Sarfraz Cheema's wife arrested for involvement in May 9 riots". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  32. ↑ Sher, Fazal (2023-06-18). "Shehryar Afridi sent on two-day police remand". Brecorder. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  33. ↑ Sigamony, Terence J. (2023-05-30). "IHC 'informed' PTI's Afridi is in 'death cell'". Brecorder. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  34. ↑ Adil, Hafsa. "'Ruined my livelihood': Pakistan internet shutdown hits millions". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  35. ↑ "Internet suspension causes loss of Rs2.49b to telecom sector in Pakistan". The Nation. 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  36. ↑ "Pakistan restores internet service after three-day shutdown". The Nation. 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  37. ↑ Hussain, Bilal (2023-05-12). "'Far-reaching effects': GSMA urges Pakistan to restore internet services". Brecorder. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  38. ↑ Desk, BR Web (2023-05-13). "Social media blackout: users still facing restrictions accessing YouTube, Twitter". Brecorder. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  39. ↑ "Pakistan's telecom regulator says social media access 'restricted' until further orders from interior ministry". Arab News PK. 2023-05-14. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  40. ↑ "Social Media Has Been Completely Restored Across Pakistan". TechJuice. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  41. ↑ Desk, Monitoring (2023-06-28). "Asif hints at more social media curbs, if needed". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  42. ↑ Ahmed, Ryan Grim, Murtaza Hussain, Waqas (2023-06-02). "In Secret Meeting, Pakistani Military Ordered Press to Stop Covering Imran Khan". The Intercept. Retrieved 2023-06-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  43. ↑ Bhagyashree (2023-06-07). "Imran Khan: 'Qasim Ke Abbu' trending in Pakistan, what is its Imran connection? know here". News Day Express. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  44. ↑ ڈیسک, سوشل (2023-06-03). "قاسم کے ابا" ٹویٹر پر ٹاپ ٹرینڈ بن گیا، آخر یہ قاسم کے ابا ہیں کون؟". WE News (in Urdu). Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  45. ↑ Hussain, Abid. "Journalist Imran Riaz Khan still missing in Pakistan". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  46. 1 2 "Where is the Pakistani TV anchor who has been missing for 12 days?". rsf.org. 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  47. ↑ "Anchorperson Sami Ibrahim 'missing' from Islamabad". Daily Times. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  48. ↑ "Abductors free BOL News President Sami Ibrahim - Journalism Pakistan". www.journalismpakistan.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  49. ↑ "Pakistan: Journalists missing amidst PTI crackdown / IFJ". International Federation of Journalists. 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  50. ↑ "May 9 riots: Over 1k held in city". June 2023.
  51. ↑ "May 9 riots 'mastermind' Imran Khan to be tried in military court: Rana Sanaullah".
  52. ↑ "Pakistan: Don't Try Civilians in Military Courts". 31 May 2023.
  53. ↑ "Pakistan says 102 in military court over ex-PM Khan arrest violence". France 24. 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  54. ↑ "Committee against Torture examines initial report of Pakistan". OHCHR. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  55. ↑ "Military Injustice in Pakistan" (PDF). International Commission of Jurists. January 2019. p. 3. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  56. ↑ "Supplementary Cause List 324 of 2023" (PDF). Supreme Court of Pakistan. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  57. ↑ "Former CJ also challenges military courts". The Express Tribune. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  58. ↑ Bhatti, Haseeb (2023-06-17). "Aitzaz Ahsan moves SC against military trials of May 9 suspects". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  59. ↑ Iqbal, Nasir (2023-05-26). "Civilians' trial by military illegal in peacetime: Imran". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  60. ↑ "Military courts case: AGP submits details of 102 arrested accused in SC". Dunya News. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  61. ↑ "Imran Khan condemns 'abduction' of Advocate Bhandari". 2023-06-18. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  62. ↑ "Sardar Latif Khosa blames house attack on those who didn't like his speeches". DAWN.COM. 2023-06-18. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  63. ↑ "Firing at Latif Khosa's residence injures driver". The Express Tribune. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
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