Imran Khan files petition against his potential handover to military custody in connection with May 9 riot cases

Islamabad: Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has filed a petition against his potential handover to military custody in connection with the May 9 riot cases, arguing that detainees involved in the events should remain under the jurisdiction of civilian courts, a media report said on Thursday.

The petition was submitted by Khan's lawyer, Uzair Karamat, to the Lahore High Court. The federal government and the Inspector Generals (IGs) of all four provinces have been made respondents in the case, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Khan, the 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, said that a false narrative had been constructed, accusing him of inciting protests at the General Headquarters (GHQ).

He described the May 9 incident as a "false flag operation," asserting that those who stole the CCTV footage of the events were the true culprits.

He criticised the comparison of the May 9 incident to the US Capitol Hill protests on January 6, 2021, highlighting that a thorough and transparent investigation was conducted in the case, leading to the punishment of only the involved individuals, without implicating the entire Republican Party of Doland Trump.

The former premier urged the court to order that custody in the May 9 cases remain with civilian courts and to issue a stay order preventing his handover to military authorities.

On Monday, the cricketer-turned-politician expressed concerns that he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, might be sent to a military jail in connection with the May 9 riot cases.

“They plan to send me to a military jail for the May 9 incidents,” he said while speaking to the media during a hearing of the Al-Qadir Trust case in the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.

He had lamented the biased treatment meted out to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers detained in military jails, suggesting a plan to also incarcerate him under similar charges.

Khan was booked on the charges of abetment in attacks on Lahore Corps Commander House known as Jinnah House, Askari Tower, and Shadman police station on May 9, 2023.

Supporters of Khan attacked several important government buildings and army installations following his arrest in an alleged corruption case in May last year.

He clarified that he had called for peaceful protests outside the army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) if arrested but never authorised any violent actions. Khan accused Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of stealing CCTV footage related to the May 9 events.