LAHORE (MNN); Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari said on Sunday that the arson attacks on the Radio Pakistan building, toll plazas and ambulances in Peshawar on May 9, 2023, were part of a well-organised conspiracy, adding that conclusive evidence has now emerged in the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory report.
In a statement, Bokhari said the forensic findings had confirmed what the government had been stating from the outset, that the violence was premeditated and carried out by the same elements who later attempted to distance themselves from the incidents.
On May 9, PTI supporters launched violent protests across the country following the arrest of party founder Imran Khan. During the unrest, military installations and state-owned properties were vandalised, and the Lahore corps commanderâs residence, Jinnah House, was also attacked. In the aftermath, thousands of protesters, including senior party leaders, were arrested.
Azma Bokhari said the planning and execution of the violence were carried out by those directly involved, adding that their statements, including those of PTI leader Murad Saeed, were already on record.
She said evidence related to the May 9 incidents had been presented before the public earlier as well, but the PTI leadership had consistently denied the facts and instead promoted what she described as fabricated narratives.
âLying is not just a habit of PTI, it has become a chronic condition from which they seem unwilling to recover,â the minister remarked.
Bokhari stressed that those who stormed Jinnah House and took part in large-scale vandalism were not ordinary individuals, but PTI office-bearers and ticket holders. Despite this, she said, a misleading narrative was deliberately pushed to portray the incidents as a so-called false flag operation.
She recalled that even PTIâs founder had publicly claimed he would apologise if undeniable evidence came to light. âHowever, despite evidence surfacing repeatedly, there has been neither remorse nor acceptance,â she added.
The minister said the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory was one of Asiaâs most credible forensic institutions. She added that the report, dispatched on December 23, contained a comprehensive forensic analysis of the Peshawar incidents, supported by video footage and photographic evidence.
According to Bokhari, the report clearly documents the torching of the Radio Pakistan building, attacks on several toll plazas, and the burning of ambulances, all of which constitute serious criminal offences.
She maintained that the evidence was fully admissible in courts of law and that those responsible for rioting, vandalism and damaging state property would be held accountable.
âThe politics of abusing, threatening and blackmailing the state through lies will no longer be tolerated,â Azma Bokhari said, adding that the law would take its due course.
