ISLAMABAD: The caretaker government has formed a committee to probe the countrywide violence on May 9 following the arrest of the then PTI Chairman Imran Khan, according to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division.

The five-member committee, comprising cabinet ministers, will “ascertain different aspects of the mayhem”, identify the masterminds, planners, and facilitators, and present its report to the caretaker prime minister in two weeks.

The committee will be headed by caretaker Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam, with the interior, information and human rights ministers and “any co-opted member to address any issue emanating during the proceedings of the committee” as members, the notification stated.

Following the violence of May 9, a number of joint investigation teams were formed to probe the events that unfolded on that day. Several PTI leaders are already in prison over their alleged involvement in acts of arson and violence.

Solangi says body would identify causes and masterminds of attacks

The caretaker minister for information, Murtaza Solangi, confirmed the development on Saturday and said there was “a dire need to carry out a holistic investigation into the May 9 incidents to determine causes, responsibility, and future course of action to prevent recurrence of such events”.

Speaking at Geo News talk show ‘Naya Pakistan’, the minister said even though investigations were underway on an individual basis, caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar “deemed it appropriate to probe into the matter holistically”.

The committee will investigate the riots on May 9 and recommend steps to prevent the recurrence of such events by strengthening the existing legal regime, Mr Solangi added.

“The law would take its course in the matters related to the May 9 tragedy,” the minister said, adding the caretaker government never viewed the investigation into the May 9 incidents as invalid.

“The committee is not a tribunal, nor a court, and we do not have any authority to punish anyone,” he added and highlighted the need to present the reality about how these events were planned and what was the purpose in front of people.

In reply to a query, Mr Solangi said the caretaker government would not divulge details about the action taken by the previous government against those involved in the violence.

Imran ‘still a convict’

Commenting on the essay, attribu­ted to Mr Khan, published in a foreign publication, the information minister questioned whether such articles co­uld be published if nothing was wri­tten to the media from inside the jail.

He added that as per the government’s information, nothing was leaked from the prison where Mr Khan has been incarcerated.

Mr Solangi called the essay a “ghost article” and said it was “based on propaganda”.

“We are writing to The Economist about this ghost article in detail,” he added.

The minister questioned whether the publication had given such a facility to any other person in jail.

Talking about Mr Khan’s legal troubles, the minister said the suspension of sentence is different from outright termination.

Mr Khan is not free as the Tosha­khana case is not over yet, he added.

The former prime minister “is still a convict as per the spirit of the law,” said the minister.

In an apparent reference to the Senate resolution calling for the postponement of polls, Mr Solangi said the history suggested that in the past, elections were held amid severe weather and security concerns.

He expressed full confidence in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for holding the elections and said the caretaker government would extend administrative and financial assistance to the ECP in this regard.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2024