JIT holds Shah Mahmood Qureshi guilty in seven cases of May 9 riots

Lahore:  A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) held Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi guilty in seven cases including terrorism and the May 9 riots, said the sources close to the development on Wednesday.

The sources within the police aid that Qureshi was declared guilty based on contradictory statements and what they said “evidence” against him.

The sources said that Qureshi could not give satisfactory answers regarding the May 9 events and was involved in vandalism incidents.

 The JIT interrogated Qureshi at Adiala Jail and recorded his statement three times. The police now filed a charge sheet in court, declaring Qureshi guilty in all seven cases.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi had earlier sought bail in the May 9 cases, submitting that the charges were politically motivated and that he was innocent. He said that on May 9, he was in Karachi for his wife’s medical treatment.

He asked the court to grant bail to him pleading that he was falsely implicated in the said cases.  Qureshi had been facing eight cases including those related to attacks on Jinnah House, Askari Tower, and the Shadman police station.

Violent clashes erupted across Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023.

The protests occurred in both remote and major cities, with party workers agitated by their chairman’s arrest. Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad called in armed forces to maintain law and order.

Army installations, including the Corps Commander's house in Lahore, were attacked during the protests by PTI workers. Imran Khan was named as the main accused in all the May 9 riots cases.