Imran Khan urges Pakistan SC to ensure judicial probe into May 9 violence

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday urged the Supreme Court judges to take notice and ensure a judicial probe into the violence that took place on May 9 so that only the "guilty should be punished," Dawn reported.

Khan said that the apex court should take suo motu notice and issue directions to release women political prisoners, who were peacefully protesting, as per the Dawn report. He stressed that judicial inquiry was required to identify those who fired and killed 25 unarmed protesters and injured hundreds of protesters. He said some 10,000 political prisoners had been imprisoned without probe, while vandalism and arson were reported from a few places in the province.

Imran Khan spoke about the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government's alleged efforts to "cripple the PTI through a streak of desertions," Dawn reported. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman said that the government will continue "pressurising" party leaders and make as many defections as it wanted to do in the "next two, three or even four weeks."

While speaking to supporters through a video link from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, Imran Khan called on the PDM government to give a timeframe for elections and announce polls to steer the country out of political and economic crises.

"I am not demanding elections for my power but for the sake of the country," Imran Khan said. He stressed that the people of Pakistan should be allowed to make their choice in the next elections. He further said, "Don't destroy the country in your efforts to keep Imran Khan away," Dawn reported.

In his remarks, Imran Khan referred to Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah's press conference and said that all his doubts had been cleared that the caretaker government in Punjab was "maltreating women." He said, "I have heard about 'rape' of PTI women political prisoners." He said that women have "never ever" been maltreated in Pakistan.

Imran Khan said, "Never ever in Pakistan, women have been maltreated as the PDM and Punjab's caretaker governments doing," Dawn reported. Earlier on Saturday, Rana Sanaullah claimed that the intelligence "agencies intercepted a conversation, revealing disturbing plots and planned actions, including a raid on the PTI leader's house and a staged rape," as per the news report. He said that they aimed to falsely implicate law enforcement agencies in the crime and raise the issue at an international level.