ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) reiterated on Tuesday its demand to constitute an empowered judicial commission to probe the May 9 incidents and all evidences, including CCTV footages, should be presented before the commission to bring orchestrators, perpetrators and facilitators of the May 9 ‘false-flag operation’ to justice.

Speaking at a press conference, PTI lawyers Intazar Hussain Panjutha and Naeem Haider Panjutha and PTI’s Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan called the DG ISPR’s presser ‘a pack of lies’ and ‘full of contradictions and frustration’.

The PTI leaders said what DG ISPR stated would harm ties between the state and the people.

Mr Hasan questioned as what were the factors which forced the DG ISPR to address such an “irrational, illogical and venomous” press conference to target the country’s biggest political force.

“The DG ISPR claims there is no threat to democracy; but he should bear in mind that there is no democracy at all in the country as there is a personal dictatorship in the country,” he said.

The PTI leader said multiple attempts had been made to target PTI in the past, but with the passage of time there had been an increase in the intensity and venom targeting PTI. He said the DG ISPR eventually showed willingness that a judicial commission should be constituted to probe May 9 incidents but attached certain conditions.

Mr Hasan said the judicial commission must be constituted as PTI has been demanding it for past one year, but it should not be subservient to the military so that the nation could know the truth as to who was responsible for the May 9 tragic events.

He said the DG ISPR should present all his evidence related to May 9 events and the PTI too would present its own evidence before the commission.

The PTI leader said the judicial commission should not only investigate the 2014 sit-in, it should also extend its scope to hold a transparent probe into May 9 incidents, regime change conspiracy, poll rigging, assassination attempt on ex-PM Imran Khan, cipher conspiracy, audio/video leaks, enforced disappearances along with the worst political engineering in the country to dismantle PTI.

The PTI leader said that the DG ISPR was claiming that all visuals of May 9 incidents had been captured by the eye of cameras, but contrary to his claim all CCTV footage relating to Mr Khan’s arrest on court premises and attacks on Corps Commander House and others disappeared.

Intazar Panjutha said the PTI’s 28-year political struggle proves it was a peaceful party.He said the London plan was still active as Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari had been exonerated from the Toshakhana case, but another Toshakhana case against Imran Khan was being considered to be filed.

Naeem Panjutha said whoever stole the CCTV footage of May 9 events whether it was from the IHC or from the Corps Commander’s House, was actually responsible for the tragedy.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2024