ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who cited the May 9 events, said legal action could be initiated against the PTI chairman in two to three weeks.

The violence on May 9 was pre-planned and the planning had been made at Zaman Park [the PTI chief’s residence in Lahore], the senior PML-N leader told a private TV channel during an interview.

Rana Sanaullah said the PTI chief was the architect of hate in politics and the prevailing instability, as he criticised the former ruling party and its policies while explaining the actions being taken against the culprits who tried to trigger anarchy in Pakistan on May 9.

Several persons arrested in connection with the attacks on the Lahore corps commander’s house and the GHQ in Rawalpindi as well as other acts of arson have already revealed that the entire planning was finalised at the PTI chief’s residence.

The statement comes just days after the military’s top brass at the 81st Formation Commanders Conference vowed to tighten noose around masterminds and planners of May 9 incidents.

“While the legal trials of perpetrators and instigators have commenced, it is time that noose of law is also tightened around the planners and masterminds who mounted the hate ripened and politically driven rebellion against the state and state institutions to achieve their nefarious design of creating chaos in the country,” the ISPR said in a statement.

The military said the unfounded and baseless allegations against the law enforcement agencies and security forces about custodial torture, human rights abuses and stifling of political activities were meant to mislead the people and malign the armed forces in order to achieve trivial vested political interests.