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The May 9 riots followed former Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s arrest and saw protesters target several military installations, triggering a sweeping crackdown on PTI.
File photo of Ex ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed. (Image: X)
Pakistan is set to initiate proceedings against former ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed over the May 9, 2023 riots, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s adviser Rana Sanaullah saying the case against the ex-spymaster remains pending and that he is expected to be charge-sheeted.
Sanaullah, the Pakistan prime minister’s adviser on political affairs, said the May 9 case had been specifically mentioned in proceedings involving Hameed, even though he had not yet been formally charge-sheeted in connection with the violence.
“I don’t think he has been charge-sheeted for May 9 yet,” Sanaullah said. “But it is clearly stated in black and white. He will be charge-sheeted for it, and when he is, several others will also be charge-sheeted.”
Hameed, one of Pakistan’s most influential former intelligence officials, has already faced military proceedings in a separate matter. Sanaullah said he believed the former ISI chief had been sentenced in a case related to property, while the May 9 matter remained pending.
‘Attack On The Institution’
Sanaullah said Pakistan’s military continued to view the May 9 violence as a direct attack on the institution and indicated there had been no softening of its position.
Recalling an earlier briefing by the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Sanaullah said the military spokesperson had made a “very firm and unequivocal statement” about the events.
“This was an attack on the institution. It will neither be forgiven nor forgotten,” he quoted the DG ISPR as saying.
“In my view, no one has been forgiven so far, nor will anyone be forgiven or forgotten,” Sanaullah added.
He said the military had treated the violence as a direct assault on itself and that its position had repeatedly been articulated by the DG ISPR.
May 9 Was ‘A Mutiny’, Says Sanaullah
Sanaullah said the military’s assessment of the May 9 violence went beyond describing it simply as rioting or vandalism.
“Their stance, which the DG ISPR expressed multiple times, is that this was a mutiny aimed at inciting rebellion within the military. This is a major offence,” he said.
The May 9 unrest erupted after the arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, with protesters targeting several military and government installations across the country.
The violence triggered a sweeping crackdown against Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), with scores of party leaders and workers facing cases linked to the attacks.
Sanaullah Rejects ‘False Flag’ Claim
Sanaullah also criticised attempts to portray the May 9 violence as a “false flag operation”, arguing that such claims were incompatible with calls for reconciliation.
Referring to suggestions that an apology could help move matters forward, he said: “Instead of apologising sincerely or even verbally, they are claiming it was a false flag operation, saying: ‘You did all this yourself.’”
He stressed that neither political leaders nor commentators could independently determine the outcome of the May 9 cases, saying the matter was tied to formal proceedings.
“Regarding May 9, neither you nor I can make statements on our own,” Sanaullah said.
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Group Editor, Investigations and Security Affairs, Network18
August 27, 2026, 09:19 IST
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