By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The caretaker government announced on Saturday that it had formed a five-member committee to investigate the violent protests that erupted across the country last year following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on corruption charges.
The committee, which includes ministers of law, interior, information, human rights and a co-opted member, will examine the role of the masterminds, planners, facilitators and executors of the May 9, 2023 incidents, according to a government notification.
The committee will also analyse the causes and responsibility for the events, evaluate their immediate and long-term implications, and suggest preventive measures to ensure that such a breach of national security is not repeated.
The Ministry of Interior will provide secretarial support to the committee, which will submit its report to the cabinet within 14 days.
The formation of the committee comes amid arrest of hundreds of activists of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in their alleged involvement in the riots and attacks on military installations.
Several PTI leaders have also resigned from the party after expressing condemnation for the violence on the day of Khan’s arrest and the subsequent attacks on military installations.
The military had termed the events of May 9 a “dark chapter” and announced its intent to try the rioters under relevant laws, including two military laws — the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act.
The decision was endorsed by the National Security Committee, the country’s top decision-making body on foreign policy and national security, despite opposition from rights groups and activists, who argued that the military’s involvement in civilian matters was unconstitutional and undemocratic.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court in December provisionally approved military court trials of Khan’s supporters. The top court overturned an Oct. 23 order by a three-member panel that had declared military trials of civilians to be unconstitutional.
The six-member panel, however, barred military courts from issuing any convictions pending a final verdict on the constitutional question of whether civilians in such cases fall into the category of fitness for military trials.
Khan, who was elected as prime minister in 2018, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau, the country’s anti-graft watchdog, with the help of the paramilitary Rangers at the Islamabad High Court in the Al Qadir Trust case, a charity organization that he allegedly used to obtain land worth billions of rupees from Malik Riaz, a property tycoon of Pakistan.
The country’s anti corruption watch-dog alleged that Khan struck a deal with Riaz that caused a loss of more than $239 million to the national exchequer, in a quid pro quid arrangement with the real estate businessman.
His arrest, however, sparked countrywide protests by his supporters, who clashed with the police and the Rangers, set fire to vehicles and public property, and attempted to storm military and the Inter-Services Intelligence, the country’s powerful spy agency, headquarters. The also attacked residence of a top general in Lahore.
Khan, who has been accused of being behind the May 9 events, is already in a high-security prison and facing a number of serious charges, including revealing official secrets.
Khan has denied any wrongdoing and accused the military of conspiring against him and his party.
The caretaker Information Minister, Murtaza Solangi, said that there was a dire need to carry out a holistic investigation of the May 9 incidents to determine the causes, responsibility and the future course of action to prevent the recurrence of such events.
The minister said the investigation of those involved on May 9 was underway on an individual basis, but the interim Prime Minister, Anwaarul Haq Kakar, deemed it appropriate to probe the matter holistically.
Solangi said that the committee would not only investigate the May 9 riots thoroughly but also give its recommendations to prevent a repetition of such events by strengthening the existing legal regime.
“The committee is not a tribunal, nor a court, and we do not have any authority to punish anyone.”
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