A report produced after investigation under the caretaker government has claimed that former prime minister Imran Khan was actively involved in the planning of violent attacks on military installations on May 9, 2023.

The report presented before the cabinet pins the blame for the violent attacks. It has not been formally released by the government but contents were leaked to reporters.

Several federal ministers have also commented on the report with Rana Sanaullah calling it inadequate while other expressing their satisfaction.

The report says Imran Khan “actively contributed” to the planning.

The report discloses that investigations conducted thus far indicate the involvement of 34 individuals who orchestrated the strategy of violent street power, with an additional 52 individuals contributing to detailed planning, and 185 individuals executing the plan.

According to the report, supporters of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, including armed men, were relocated from party strongholds in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Lahore several days before Khan’s arrest.

These individuals were housed in various locations across Lahore, with their expenses being covered by party leaders and sympathizers.

Their primary objective was to resist Khan’s arrest and, if necessary, resort to violence and mayhem.

The report states that these individuals successfully prevented Khan’s arrest on multiple occasions by resisting law enforcement agencies.

On May 9, 2023, following the arrest of Imran Khan, these individuals gathered at predetermined locations to serve as rallying points for other party workers, it said.

They were already armed with weapons such as batons and played an active role in further inciting the emotions of the crowd, based on social media prompts, it added.

They also directed the crowd towards specific locations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and the Jinnah House in Lahore, it said.

The report said, “On May 9, 2023, following Mr Khan’s arrest, these people assembled at pre-decided locations to serve as rallying points for other party workers. Evidence shows these people were already armed with batons etc., to cause violence. Taking lead from social media, they successfully further enflamed the already charged emotions of the crowd. They also helped steer crowds towards pre-decided locations such as the GHQ in Rawalpindi and the Jinnah House in Lahore. Testimonies recorded of those present at these places speak of voices from within the crowd prompting them to march to certain locations and silencing opposition to those suggestions. Once at those locations, these people initiated violence and encouraged others to participate.”

Once at the designated locations, these individuals initiated violence and encouraged others to participate.

The pattern of violence on May 9, 2023, suggests a carefully orchestrated strategy aimed at attacking specific targets, including military installations.

“The events of May 9, 2023 were neither isolated nor entirely spontaneous. They were part of an organised strategy to demonstrate street power through violence in the event of Mr Khan’s arrest. Evidence shown to the Committee suggests that as Mr Khan’s arrest became increasingly likely (owing to his own recalcitrant behaviour), the party leadership formulated a strategy to respond to his arrest by causing violence and mayhem by attacking military installations,” the report stated.

Call logs examined during the investigation reveal that certain PTI leaders made calls to the rioters attacking the Jinnah House, indicating close coordination between PTI leaders and the rioters.

Many of the arrested individuals confessed, during interrogation, to receiving instructions from PTI party leaders to engage in violence and target specific locations, such as the residence of the Corps Commander in Lahore.

The report concludes that the events of May 9, 2023, were neither isolated nor entirely spontaneous but were part of an organized strategy to demonstrate street power through violence in response to Imran Khan’s arrest.

The evidence presented to the cabinet committee indicates that as Khan’s arrest became more likely, the party leadership formulated a strategy to respond with violence, thereby pressuring the military into engaging with the PTI.

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