Masterminds of violent episode of May 9 must be punished: Javed Latif

PML-N leader and Federal Minister Mian Javed Latif has said that the PTI chairman is involved in the May 9 riots, calling for bringing to book the masterminds of these violent incidents, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Addressing a presser in Lahore on Wednesday, Latif said that since the beginning, his party has been saying that PTI Chairman Imran Khan was behind the violent episode of May 9. He said that the PML-N was proved right when trials of the accused were held and punishments awarded.

“It’s very necessary to award punishment to the masterminds of May 9-10 incidents,” the minister said, adding that the country should be sacred for everyone.

He supported the military trials of civilians in order to stop the redo of the May 9 incidents. He said that May 9 rioters should be tried and hanged in the square so that we could save our country. He wondered why people are filing petitions against Army Act now. He said this Act has been there since 1952.

Replying to those who criticized them for condemning institutions in the past, the minister said, “Yes, we criticized those institutions which violated the constitution and gave judgements which created racial discrimination and brought about the country’s economic destruction. We were justified to criticize them.”

But he said that never in the history of the country, Army was made target and military installations were attacked. He said that May 9 spasm was in fact an attack on the state.

'If in-servince armymen can face trial, why not the retired officers'

Talking about the ISPR DG statement on Monday that three army officers, including a lieutenant general, were sacked from their jobs as a part of the military’s “self-accountability process” into the events of May 9, the federal minister and senior PML-N leader also demanded punishment for those who launched the ‘Project Chairman PTI’.

He emphasized that if those who launched this project were not arrested and punished along with the in-service servicemen, incidents like May 9 might happen again. He said our target was not only to punish those people, rather our target was to get those who caused unrest and economic misery in Pakistan.

He said that facilitators and masterminds, however powerful they might be, should be punished.

He said that an institution held itself accountable and set an example for others. It is hoped that the justice-providing institution will also follow suit, he said in an apparent reference to the judiciary.