ISLAMABAD: The jailed founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Tuesday said that “whoever stole the CCTV footage, is behind May 09” riots.

In a message on X, he said that those behind stealing the CCTV footages are behind orchestrating the May 09 vandalism.

The May 9 riots were a series of violent clashes that took place on 9 May 2023. Following the arrest of Imran Khan, from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), demonstrations held by PTI’s supporters descended into violent riots.

The message from jailed PTI on X comes late Tuesday night, as he plainly stated that the perpetrators of May 09 are those who stole the CCTV footages when people took to the streets in wake of his arrest on May 09.

Meanwhile, five major opposition parties including PTI held a meeting and discussed forming a grand opposition alliance to give tough time to the government.

Chairman PTI Gohar Ali Khan, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Liaquat Baloch, and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Achakzai attended the meeting.

Majlis-e-Wadhat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) head Allama Nasir Abbas and Balochistan National Party (BNP) Chairman Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the opposition leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub and Asad Qaiser also attended the meeting.

The sources privy to the meeting said that matters pertaining to formation of a grand opposition alliance came under discussion as the government is not ready to investigate the rigging allegations in Feb 08 general elections.

All these parties had earlier rejected February 8 elections results and termed it manipulated and rigged.—ZULFIQAR AHMAD

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024