A total of 319 cases were registered across the province regarding the 9-10 incident. May
Protesters throw stones after police fired tear gas to disperse them in Lahore May 9, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
PESHAWAR:
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to withdraw more than 55 cases in various courts against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in connection with the violent protests that followed the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9 and 10. The decision follows a formal approval given by the provincial cabinet.
According to official records, a total of 319 cases were registered across the province regarding the 9-10 incidents. May. Most of these cases have already been concluded and many accused have either been acquitted or acquitted by the courts due to insufficient evidence. At present, 55 cases are pending and will be withdrawn when the minutes of the government meeting are issued.
The government has also appointed Additional Solicitor General Inam Yousafzai as the Special Prosecutor to oversee cases related to terrorism-related cases.
Advocate General KP Shah Faisal Uthmankhel said that although 319 cases were initially registered, not all contained sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). In several cases, decisions were made after submission of written responses, while in others responses were still pending. The 55 unanswered cases are those earmarked for withdrawal.
He further stated that 29 cases under the ATA were still active, while 23 had already been concluded, including eight acquittals.
The remaining cases were transferred to ordinary courts after finding that the ATA provisions did not apply.
Currently, six terror-related cases are pending. One has already been sent for withdrawal and responses in the remaining five are ongoing. Once completed, all 9th-10th graders will May cases be concluded.
Uthmankhel added that after the minutes of the cabinet meeting are officially released, petitions will be filed in the relevant courts to withdraw the remaining cases. After arguments, the government expects no May 9 or 10 case to remain active.
Meanwhile, a separate report on pending cases in Anti Terrorism Courts (ATCs) across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has also been issued. According to the report, 416 cases are currently pending in the province’s 10 ATC courts.
Peshawar tops the list with 192 pending cases across its three ATC courts. The report notes that 100 cases were decided during November, with Peshawar alone disposing of 57. However, the ATC courts in Buner, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan did not decide a single case during the same period.
