No mercy for May 9 rioters

F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif here on Thursday said that the nation would not forgive if the attackers of civil and defence installations on May 9-10 escaped from justice. The prime minister added that those involved in rioting and planners would be tried under the relevant sections of Anti Terrorism Act.
Chairing a high-level meeting at Governor House Peshawar to review the law and order situation, the prime minister also assured that no injustice would be made with those who were found not involved in subversive activity.
Besides others, the meeting was attended by Governor Haji Ghulam Ali, caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Prime Minister Adviser Amir Muqam, Chief Secretary and IGP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Prime Minister said that this important meeting was planned soon after the May 9-10 incident, but was delayed due to some unavoidable engagements.
However, he said that a zoom meeting was arranged with the Governor KP and Chief Minister to get himself appraised about the huge damages and losses inflicted by the rioters. The prime minister regretted that these elements, who claimed themselves as pro-Pakistan, were in fact involved in vandalism and by attacking the defense installations they have caused damage beyond imagination that even could not have been done by our enemies in the 75 years history of the country.
He told the participants that Federal Government in consultation with provincial governments has decided that those involved in vandalism and their abetters would be tried under Anti-terrorism Act. Whereas those elements who attacked the defense installations would be tried under the rules authorized to defence institutions. The prime minister reiterated his directives to ensure that no injustice should be done with any innocent in this whole process of bringing the anti-state elements to justice.
Meanwhile, addressing the meeting of the leaders of different political parties at Governor House Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said that the vandalism and ransacking of the civil properties and defence installations on May 9-10 have exposed the wicked face of Imran Niazi and the government has decided to take strict action against attackers, abetters and planners under the relevant laws.
The Prime Minister claimed that a horde of people brought on the orders of Imran Niazi attacked the civil and defence installations on May 9-10, 2023 that inflicted colossal losses.
He said Radio Pakistan Peshawar’s building was burnt to ashes on May 10 by the rioters. He said that it was unfortunate that the Radio Pakistan Peshawar building from where Pakistan’s independence announcement was made on midnight of May 13-14, 1947 was also ransacked and put on fire by the rioters on May 10. The Prime Minister said the destruction of the historical archives of the national broadcaster was a great loss.
The Prime Minister said that May 9 was a black day in the country’s history due to incidents of terrorism, vandalism and ransacking of public properties and defense installations that changed everything. He said that in the last 75 years history of Pakistan, it was for the first time that military installations were attacked during a protest of a political party on May 9-10.
The Prime Minister said attackers, abetters and planners of May 9-10 deserved no concession and strict action was being taken against them under the relevant anti-terrorism laws. He said it was decided that elements involved in attacks on defence installations would be dealt with under the laws authorized for security institutions while cases of the ransacking of public and civil properties would be dealt with under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said that implementation of the decision has been started and all those found guilty would be punished accordingly.
Shehbaz chairs meeting on law, order in KP: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting here at the Governor House about the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and Advisor to the PM Ameer Muqam attended the meeting. On the occasion, KP Governor Ghulam Ali, CM Azam Khan, Chief Secretary KP Nadeem Aslam, Home Secretary Abid Majeed, IG Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur and other administrative secretaries were also present.
Chief Secretary KP Nadeem Aslam and Home Secretary Abid Majeed briefed the prime minister about the security situation and the challenges in the province. Earlier, upon his arrival at the Governor House, the prime minister was received by KP Governor Ghulam Ali, CM Azam Khan and Advisor to the PM Ameer Muqam.