RAWALPINDI: Eight suspects allegedly involved in the May 9 violence were detained on Thursday immediately after being released from Adiala jail on bail.

The suspects have been held for 15 days after the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner issued their detention orders under Section 3(1) of the Maintenance of Public Order.

The said section empowered the government to arrest any individual over fears that they may act “in any manner prejudicial to public safety or the maintenance of public order”.

Earlier, a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court had granted bail to the eight suspects who were released from the Adiala jail after submitting surety bonds.

Five more freed after getting bail from apex court

The suspects were Asadullah, Ibrar Shah, Rizwanullah, Ahmed Ali, Asif Ali, Sajjad Haider, Rizwan Azmat and Sohail Tahir.

Detention order

In his order, the deputy commissioner said that as per the report of Rawalpindi police chief, the eight suspects were “members of a political party” and were found involved in “instigating, planning to organise unlawful assembly, committed violence, delivered unlawful speeches to cause damage to human life and public and private property in the New Town Police Station area on May 9” after the arrest of their leadership.

This was in reference to the violence that broke out following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan from the premises of the Islamabad High Court on May 9, 2023.

The deputy commissioner’s order stated that the detention was for 15 days “to avoid any likelihood of breach of peace /unlawful assembly in the district [Rawalpindi]”.

The detainees have the right to appeal to the government of Punjab against this order, the order added.

Suspects released from Adiala jail

Separately, five other suspects who were granted bail by the Supreme Court last week were released from Adiala jail on Thursday night.

They were also arrested for their alle­ged involvement in the May 9 violence.

A three-member bench, comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Musarrat Hilali had granted bail to the suspects arrested by the New Town police.

The suspects, Saifullah, Waqas, Kamran, Nasrullah, and Owais Ayaz Abbasi, were ordered to submit surety bonds worth Rs50,000 each.

During the bail hearing, the bench regretted the poor investigation and censured the police and the prosecution.

Justice Mandokhail had observed that there was “no evidence against the suspects” who were under detention since May 10, 2023.

The judge also slammed the inclusion of terror charges in the case, adding that instead of dragging courts into political cases, the government should solve them in the political arena.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2024