19 Convicts of May 9 Riots Pardoned: ISPR

SENTENCES OF 19 CONVICTS PARDONED AFTER MERCY PETITIONS

• 19 convicts pardoned: Their sentences have been commuted after mercy petitions were filed.
• Total petitions filed: 67 mercy petitions, with 48 processed for appeal and 19 accepted on humanitarian grounds.
• Details on pardoned individuals: Convicts involved in various incidents, including attacks on military installations, had their 2-year sentences reduced.

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Web Desk — The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that 19 convicts had their sentences pardoned after they filed mercy petitions. This move follows a total of 67 mercy petitions submitted, of which 48 were forwarded to the Courts of Appeal. The military’s media wing clarified that the 19 petitions accepted were granted purely on humanitarian grounds and under the law.

The remaining mercy petitions are being processed and will be decided in due time. The 19 pardoned individuals will be released after the necessary procedural formalities are completed. The ISPR further emphasized that the release of these convicts showcases the strength and fairness of Pakistan’s legal process, highlighting the importance of compassion and mercy in justice.

Previously, in April 2024, 20 convicts had been released on similar humanitarian grounds. These decisions illustrate the balanced approach, combining justice with empathy, as outlined in the country’s legal system.

Details of the Pardoned Convicts
The pardoned individuals were all sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment for their involvement in various incidents, including attacks on military and public installations. These events took place in December 2024, following a series of violent protests on May 9, 2023, sparked by the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan.

Some of the notable pardoned convicts include:

• Muhammad Ayaz (FC Cantt Peshawar incident)
• Sami Ullah (Bannu Cantt incident)
• Laeeq Ahmed and Amjad Ali (ISI Office Faisalabad incident)
• Yasir Nawaz, Said Alam, and Zahid Khan (Punjab Regimental Centre Mardan incident)
• Muhammad Bilawal (Jinnah House attack)
• Asher Butt, Muhammad Waqas, and Sufayan Idrees (Rahwali Gate Gujranwala incident)

These individuals were among the 25 convicts sentenced on December 2024, following violent protests targeting military installations such as the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Jinnah House in Lahore.

International Response
The military trials and convictions have drawn criticism from both the United States and the European Union, with concerns over transparency, judicial independence, and due process. The European Union has pointed out the inconsistency with Pakistan’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), while the U.S. has raised similar concerns about the fairness of the military court system.