A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in two more cases related to the May 9 riots over lack of evidence.
“Because of insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution, the PTI founder has been acquitted,” read Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir’s ruling on a petition challenging two cases registered against Khan at the Shehzad Town Police Station.
This is the second time courts have acquitted the former prime minister in cases related to the May 9 riots. Earlier this month, Khan was similarly acquitted in two cases registered against him at Islamabad’s Khanna Police Station. That ruling was also issued over insufficient evidence of Khan’s involvement in the cases.
Despite the acquittals, however, Khan still faces multiple cases related to the May 9 riots across Pakistan, particularly Punjab.
The May 9, 2023 riots were triggered by Khan’s arrest in a corruption case. They saw rioters, many of them believed to be supporters of the PTI, ransacking and setting ablaze civil and military assets, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s House.
Following the rioting, authorities launched a crackdown against the PTI that saw thousands of workers and leaders taken into custody, with over 100 of them facing military trials for their alleged assaults on military installations. The Army has described May 9 as a “black day,” and repeatedly called for all perpetrators, facilitators and planners to be brought to justice to ensure similar incidents do not occur in future.