The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to reduce the number of cases related to the May 9 incidents, under which recommendations to close 51 cases have been sent to the provincial cabinet.
This move comes at a time when various members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were named in these incidents on May 9 and May 10. Following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9, 2023, there were intense protests and violence across the country, in which various government properties were damaged and public demonstrations continued. As a result of these incidents, cases were registered against several individuals, including PTI leaders and members of the assembly. Some of these members of the assembly were accused of leading or participating in the protests.
The Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said that the members of the assembly against whom nominations have been made in the cases of May 9 may also face disqualification in the event of conviction. If these members are convicted, they will have to lose their parliamentary positions and will also be ineligible to participate in the upcoming elections.
The Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has said that keeping in mind the nature of these cases, the Advocate General’s Office has recommended that some of these cases be withdrawn. A final decision will be taken in the provincial cabinet meeting to close these cases.
It should be remembered that a total of 319 cases were registered during May 9 and May 10, in which various individuals, leaders and workers were nominated. Out of these cases, 51 cases are pending so far, on which the provincial cabinet will take the final decision.
This decision by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is politically significant because it comes at a time when the political environment in the country is very tense. The arrests, protests and legal actions against PTI leaders have triggered a political crisis across the country. Some analysts see this decision by the government to reduce the number of cases as an attempt to adopt a politically soft approach to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated.
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