Peshawar Court Acquits 74 PTI Activists in May 2023 Violence Case

A Peshawar court has acquitted 74 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf activists who had been charged in connection with the May 2023 violence that followed the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The ruling marks a significant legal development in the ongoing judicial processing of hundreds of cases stemming from the nationwide unrest that erupted on May 9, 2023.

The acquittals were granted after the court found insufficient evidence to sustain the charges against the accused. Defence lawyers had argued that many of the detainees had been arrested on the basis of broad sweeps rather than individualised evidence linking them to specific acts of violence or property damage.

The May 9 events resulted in attacks on military installations, government buildings, and public infrastructure across multiple provinces, triggering a sustained crackdown in which thousands of PTI supporters were detained. Prosecutions under the Anti-Terrorism Act and ordinary criminal law have proceeded at varying paces across different courts and provinces, with outcomes diverging significantly.

The Peshawar acquittals add to a pattern of judicial decisions in which courts have discharged defendants for want of adequate evidence, even as the state has maintained that those responsible for attacks on sensitive installations must face accountability. PTI has consistently maintained that many of the accused were falsely implicated in a politically motivated legal offensive.