May 9 violence: PHC declines KP govt request for judicial commission

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has declined the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s request to form a judicial commission for inquiry into the May 9 violence.

The sources said the court took the plea that the forum which had written the letter to request for the constitution of the judicial commission was not mandated to do that.

Refusing to entertain the request for the judicial commission and nominating the judges, the PHC said the KP government had violated the Rules of Business of 1985 by making such a request.

The sources said the registrar had informed the KP government about the decision of the PHC Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim through a letter.

The letter said that KP Advocate General Shah Faisal Uthmankhel had requested the constitution of the judicial commission on July 26 to probe the May 9 incidents.

He had requested the PHC chief justice to nominate a judge or judges for the judicial commission as per the decision of the KP cabinet made on June 27.

The advocate general had stated that the KP government would notify the names of the judges once the PHC constituted the judicial commission and nominated judges for that.

He had stated that Terms of Reference for the commission would be prepared later for the commission to bring forth the fact behind the May acts.

It may be mentioned here that public and private properties were attacked and damaged on May 9, last year, in violent acts in various parts of the country when the PTI workers protested the arrest of the party founder Imran Khan on different charges.

These acts of unprecedented violence were blamed on the PTI, a charge denied by the party leadership.