ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that out of the 499 first information reports (FIRs) registered after the events of May 9, only six cases would be tried in military courts.
During a press conference in Islamabad, the interior minister elaborated that of the six cases, two were from Punjab and four from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He added that out of the 499 cases, 88 pertained to terrorism provisions.
“I was silent until today because I wanted to speak when the facts emerged completely, and I wanted to present them with full responsibility,” he said.
Sana continued that “only” 19 of the accused would be handed over to military authorities while 14 arrested accused were handed over to army authorities in K-P.
The interior minister further added that 20,588 people were arrested in Punjab and 1,100 in K-P, while 5,536 people were arrested in other cases, the majority of whom were released on bail whereas the remaining cases had gone to other courts. He added that 3,946 people were arrested under ATA provisions.
He assured that those individuals who were not involved in incidents of rioting on May 9 would not be included in the ongoing cases and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had emphasised that no innocent person be harmed.
The security czar maintained that the Official Secrets Act and the Army Act were applicable when a person – even if it be a soldier – trespassed on a building, or a part of it, which is related to the country’s defence.
“It is a punishable offence to enter, stay around, or allow people to enter such a building. Protests and videos cannot be made near sensitive buildings,” he clarified.
Referring to calls for legislation, Sana maintained that there was no need for any legislation or amendments regarding cases in military courts.
He said that politics of hate started with the 2014 sit-in when a political party named its politics “jihad” and “what happened on May 9 was also a continuation of that”.
“I used to always call Imran Khan fitna”.
Talking about former US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad’s comments regarding the May 9 events, Sana said Khalilzad did not tweet about the person who was sentenced to jail for four years after breaking into Capitol Hill in the US. He continued that Khalilzad “only observed human rights in Pakistan”.
The interior minister further alleged that money were being sent for Khalilzad to lobby in the US.