Rana Sanaullah says Imran Khan will be tried in military courts for planning, executing May 9 attacks

ISLAMABAD, May 30 (SABAH): Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan on Tuesday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan will be tried in a military court for the events of May 9 when violence erupted following his arrest and military installations came under attack.

At least eight people were killed, as many as 290 were injured, and over 1,900 enraged protesters were rounded up in running battles with law enforcers across the country on May 9 when an accountability court in Islamabad handed over the custody of Imran Khan to NAB in connection with the Al Qadir Trust case.

The protesters had also stormed the residence of the corps commander in Lahore — also called Jinnah House — and tore down a gate of General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The riots had elicited a strong reaction from the government and military with vows of taking action against the culprits, leading to an ongoing crackdown against those involved.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Rana Sanaullah accused Imran Khan of personally carrying out the planning of the attacks on military installations before his arrest on the day, adding that there was evidence to prove the claim as well.

When asked if Imran would be tried in the military court, Rana Sanaullah said: “Absolutely, why shouldn’t he? The programme that he made to target the military installations and then had it executed, in my understanding absolutely is a case of a military court.”

The interior minister accused the PTI chief of personally orchestrating the May 9 riots. “They (PTI supporters) chanted a slogan that ‘Imran Khan is our red line’, and the planning and preparation were done on Imran Khan’s initiative and instigation.

“He carried it all out. He is the architect of all this discord,” adding that there was evidence present to back the accusation as well. “[The evidence] is documented, it is in tweets and his messages,” he added.

When asked how Imran Khan was able to communicate with his party leaders even from jail, the interior minister replied: “All this [planning] was decided before he went [to jail] that ‘who will do what and where. And when he is arrested, what would be the strategy and duties’. All of this was decided.”