A special Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which is probing the May 9 riots in Pakistan grilled Imran Khan inside his jail cell in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Attock jail. The former prime minister is being subjected to questioning after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) allowed investigators to probe the role he allegedly played in instigating his party’s, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), cadres against the army and the government.
The police will interrogate him in six more cases. The JIT, consisting of five high-ranking officials, visited Attock this week to question Imran Khan. Imran Khan is serving a three-year sentence after being convicted in the Toshakhana case.
He has also been booked under sedition and anti-terror laws.
Imran Khan has been booked on charges of waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan and abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty and rioting.
He remains booked under sections 120, 120-A, 120-B, 121-A, 505, 153, 153-A, 153-B and 107 of PPC for his alleged involvement in attacks on Askari Tower, Shadman police station, and burning down of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) offices in Lahore’s Model Town and Jinnah House, which also serves residence of the corp’s commander.
The JIT team was led by the Lahore Deputy Inspector General. He sought permission earlier to interrogate and arrest the PTI chief in an FIR registered by the police regarding the attack on Jinnah House.
The riots on May 9 triggered massive unrest across Pakistan after the Pakistan National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested the former prime minister in the £190 million settlement case. Hundreds of PTI workers and senior leaders remain behind bars for their alleged involvement in violence and attacks on military installations.
Party cadres allegedly attacked civil and military installations including — Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The Army called May 9 “Black Day” and are trying the protesters under the Army Act.