Echoing statements from the military’s spokesman, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Asim Munir on Thursday maintained that there can be “no deal with the architects and plotters” of the May 9 riots.
On May 9, 2023, violent protests erupted across Pakistan over the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in a corruption case. The protesters, which the PTI claims acted of their own accord, attacked civil and military assets, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s House and General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army chief visited the Lahore Garrison on the first anniversary of the riots, stressing the plotters of the unrest were “brazenly and shamelessly trying to twist the narrative and implicate the state in this despicable endeavor.” While he did not specifically name the PTI, it has repeatedly alleged the May 9 riots were a “false flag” operation aimed at sidelining the party.
“This mindset is precisely the reason why there can be no compromise or deal with the planners and architects of this dark chapter in our history,” said Gen. Munir, describing May 9 as a “black day” in Pakistan’s history when “deliberately indoctrinated and insidiously guided miscreants attacked the symbols of the state and national unity, disgracefully desecrating the shuhada monuments.”
Such “deplorable acts” of criminally orchestrated violence provided the enemies of Pakistan an opportunity to mock the state and the nation, he said. According to the ISPR, he said gullible elements, who did not understand the real motive behind this criminal enterprise and were used as cannon fodder for the political ambitions of the masterminds, have already been accorded reasonable benefit of the doubt on the direction of the Supreme Court.
However, he continued, the real leaders who present themselves as victims now would be held accountable for their actions, particularly as there is irrefutable evidence of their involvement and complicity in organized violence and sabotage. The military’s media wing said the Army chief had assured the officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army that “no one will be allowed to disrespect shuhada, their families or the institution.”
Reiterating that the “planners, abettors, facilitators and culprits” of the May 9 riots would be brought to justice as per law, he warned “our patience not to respond to daily provocations in this regard made in brazen violation of the Constitution has limits and it must never be misconstrued as weakness.” The Army chief also noted that inimical forces and their abettors had resorted to “digital terrorism” in a bid to sow divisions between the armed forces and the people of Pakistan through lies, fake news and propaganda. Such designs, he maintained, would be defeated with the support of the nation.
During his address, the Army chief also lauded troops at the Lahore Garrison for their services to the nation and appreciated their professionalism.
Earlier, Gen. Munir was given a detailed briefing on the operational preparedness of the formation, said the ISPR, adding he had laid a floral wreath at the Martyrs’ Monument and paid solemn tribute to the shuhada who sacrificed their lives for the motherland. He also inaugurated the Jinnah Library at the Lahore Garrison, saying the military had rekindled the memory of the Quaid by building this public library over the piles of ash and rubble created by destructive forces.
He said every soldier and officer of the Pakistan Army put his duties and responsibilities first, regardless of any other affiliations or preferences and continued to render extreme sacrifices on a daily basis.