By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said on Wednesday that he would apologize for the May 9 riots if supporters were found to have been involved, but only if authorities released CCTV footage of the events.
Khan, speaking to journalists at Adiala Jail, where he has been held since his arrest on corruption charges last year, asked the authorities to identify the culprits through CCTV footage.
“If the culprits are found to be affiliated with the PTI, I will not only expel them from the party but also apologize,” Khan said. “I will myself seek punishment for the PTI members if they are found to have been involved in the May 9 incidents.”
He reiterated his party’s right to peaceful protest and called for the release of the CCTV footage to identify those responsible for the violence.
The violent protests broke out on May 9, 2023, after Khan was briefly arrested in a land fraud case. His supporters clashed with the police and Rangers, set fire to vehicles and public property, and attempted to storm the headquarters of the military and the Inter-Services Intelligence, the country’s powerful spy agency. They also attacked the residence of a top general in Lahore. Thousands of PTI supporters, including its senior leaders, have been arrested.
The violence was condemned by the military as a “dark chapter” in the country’s history. The military has since vowed to bring to justice all those involved in the violence.
Khan has consistently distanced his party from the protests, alleging they were pre-planned and staged to launch a crackdown on his party. “The PTI is the victim of the May 9 incidents.”
The former prime minister also criticized the manner in which he was arrested, saying he was “dragged” by paramilitary Rangers. “There is no respect for a popular person in Pakistan and globally,” he added. “Don’t you feel obliged to apologize to me?”
Khan acknowledged that PTI activists had hurled petrol bombs at law enforcers outside his Zaman Park residence in Lahore but said this was an isolated incident. “We only used petrol bombs in Zaman Park, Lahore – nowhere else,” he said.
The former premier again expressed his willingness to engage in talks with the military, saying, “The army is a national institution, and its protection is everyone’s responsibility.” “We do not want chaos; I am ready to talk with the army for the sake of the country.”
The Pakistan Army, however, rejected reports of talks with the PTI leadership. The military spokesman last week said the military’s stance on the May 9 riots, stated on May 7, 2024, remains unchanged. “Neither has there been any change in this position, nor will there be.”
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