MAY 9 has come and gone. Pakistanis are still in shock and still trying to fathom what had happened on that day, what is its significance, how and why did it happen, what we have done or not done and what will be the implications of both.
Consider: Imran Khan has used violence and intimidation as major tools of his politics much earlier than May 9, last year. This was not the first, and let me warn you not the last time, if he and his loyalists are not punished according to the laws of the land. To jog your memory, let me tell you a few things.
Imran has used threatening language for his entire political career, especially after 2013 elections. He, his patrons and Canadian cleric Tahirul Qadri planned the coup against parliamentary democracy way back in late June 2014 in London. That was the original London Plan. They introduced sling shots, containers and barricade removing cranes, batons and arson tools against the law enforcement nine years before the actual May, 9. During their attack on the parliamentary democracy in August, 2014, Imran’s followers brutally attacked SSP Ismatullah Junejo, freed arrested goons from police custody, blocked Constitution Avenue for 126 days, hung up dirty laundry on the walls of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, bulldozed the outer perimeter of the Parliament House, attacked, captured and destroyed the national television headquarters and interrupted the transmission of PTV, something that even India was unable to do during the wars.
Imran Khan had the nerve to celebrate it during the phone call between him and Arif Alvi, something none of them have apologized yet, although Alvi at least admitted that the conversation did take place. Imran Khan and his supporters planned the events of May 9, while he was on his way out. Imran’s public rallies waving Cipher to whip up anti-US rhetoric, likening the sitting COAS as traitor and animal was part of the warm-up before the actual May, 9. He is on the record threatening the State of Pakistan that when out of power, he will be more ‘Khatrenaak” (dangerous).
In between March 2023 and May, 9, several times, when he was asked to appear before any court of law, he would simply not show up, using one or the other excuse. In March, each time the police would go to serve notices or warrants of arrest, Imran’s goons in hundreds, some of them brought even from other provinces like Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including Afghans, would attack the police with stone pelting, batons and petrol bombs. This is all documented and recorded.
On March 18, just ten days after the vote of no confidence was submitted against Imran Khan, his indoctrinated party goons attacked Sindh House in Islamabad and destroyed the gate and part of the property. Imran created the paranoia that once arrested, he will be killed by the law enforcement agencies. He used that pretext to avoid arrest at all costs. For months PTI through social media and mainstream media asked hundreds of his supporters to guard Zaman Park and attack law enforcement officials whenever they tried to come even close.
On Monday, May, 8, 24 hours before his arrest, his party leaders were assigned to cause riot and attack military and public installations in case Imran was arrested on May, 9, when he appeared at the court hearing in Islamabad. Imran Khan would always travel with hundreds of his workers armed with batons, sling shots and guns, to deter the law enforcement agencies from arresting him during the commute.
On Tuesday, May, 9, after his arrest, his party leaders executed that plan causing 14 deaths, injuring 423, mostly law enforcement officials, destroying 40 public (including the Jinnah House Lahore, GHQ, several cantonments, PAF bases and Radio Pakistan Peshawar) and 15 private buildings, across Pakistan in 30 cities, causing the damage to the tune of Rs 17 billion. His party leaders incited violence against the military officials and destroyed military installations. His supporters both within and especially overseas tried to cause mutiny within the defence forces of the nuclear nation.
There can be no excuse for this major act of sedition and violence against the State of Pakistan but sadly our justice system that treated Imran Khan as Prima Donna, has refused to deliver. The verdicts of the military courts, almost in the final stages, were halted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. There is no final verdict on the case yet. The civilian anti-terrorist courts have not completed the trials yet. Nobody has been convicted despite the passing of more than one year past the dark day.
Unlike old democracies like UK, France and the US where the rioters were tried in speedy courts and sent to jail, Pakistani State declared as an authoritarian state by its critics has acted as just its opposite and proved to be a Jelly State. Pakistan today, badly needing economic and political stability can’t afford to linger this on any more. Those who acted as masterminds and planners must face the severe punishment as per laws of the land and minor punishments to the misguided and indoctrinated youths besides providing them counselling. Let it be known to all and sundry: If the state didn’t visit May, 9, then May, 9 will visit the state of Pakistan. Next time it might be very ugly and cause existential damage.
—The writer is former Federal Caretaker Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs.
Email: murtazasolangi@gmail.com
