LAHORE: Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari on Sunday said a Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory (PFSL) report had provided “irrefutable evidence” that the arson attacks on the Radio Pakistan building, toll plazas and ambulances in Peshawar on May 9, 2023, were part of a “well-planned conspiracy” orchestrated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), vowing that all those involved would be brought to justice.
In a statement, Bokhari said the violence that erupted across the country following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9 was not spontaneous, but carefully planned by the same elements who later took part in the attacks. She said their planning and execution were reflected in recorded statements, including those of senior PTI leader Murad Saeed.
On May 9, PTI supporters staged violent protests nationwide, vandalising military installations and state buildings and attacking the Lahore corps commander’s residence. In the aftermath, thousands of protesters, including party leaders, were arrested.
Bokhari said evidence relating to the incidents had already been placed before the public, but the PTI leadership had continued to deny facts and promote what she described as “fabricated narratives”. She accused the party of habitual dishonesty, saying denial had become ingrained in its political conduct.
Rejecting claims that the violence was a “false flag operation”, the minister said those who stormed Jinnah House and engaged in vandalism were not ordinary protesters but PTI office-bearers and ticket holders. She recalled that even the party’s founder had publicly stated he would apologise if conclusive evidence emerged, yet no remorse or acceptance had followed despite repeated disclosures.
Bokhari said the PFSL — regarded as one of Asia’s most credible forensic institutions — had completed a comprehensive forensic analysis of the Peshawar incidents. The report, dispatched on December 23 and seen by Dawn, was supported by video footage and photographic evidence documenting the torching of Radio Pakistan, attacks on multiple toll plazas and the burning of ambulances.
She said the findings constituted serious criminal offences and were fully admissible in courts of law. “Those involved in rioting, vandalism and damage to state property will be held accountable,” she asserted.
Concluding her statement, Bokhari said the politics of “abuse, intimidation and blackmailing the state through lies” would no longer be tolerated, adding that the law would take its course.
