Court acquits Imran Khan in two May 9 vandalism cases

• Judicial Magistrate Sahib Bilal approved Khan's plea.
• Acquittal plea approved due to insufficient evidence.
• Cases filed in 2022 for long march and violation of Article 144.
  

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan was Wednesday acquitted in two cases pertaining to the May 9 vandalism.

His acquittal orders were issued by Judicial Magistrate Sahib Bilal, who approved the former prime minister's plea challenging the cases.

The cases against Khan were filed in Khanna Police Station in the federal capital.

Khan's acquittal plea was approved by court due to insufficient evidence in the cases against him.

The cases were registered against the PTI founder in 2022 for long march and violation of Article 144.

Khan, who remains behind bars in Adiala jail, and several others including some PTI leaders are facing various allegations in the cases related to the violence following his arrest on May 9.

What happened on May 9?

The vandalism was followed by PTI founder's arrest on the aforementioned date last year during which party workers protested, taking to the streets across the country and damaging public and private property.

The drama followed months of political crisis during which Khan, who was ousted in April 2022, waged an unprecedented campaign against then-government and establishment.

The riots also led to the deaths of at least eight people and injured several others, prompting the authorities to arrest thousands of PTI workers and followers. Hundreds of party workers and senior leaders were put behind bars for their involvement in violence and attacks on military installations.

During the protests, the miscreants targeted the civil and military installations including — Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The military termed May 9 "Black Day" and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act.