A Peshawar court has acquitted 74 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists in a case related to violence during the May 2023 protests, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to proceed against them.
The decision was announced by Additional Sessions Judge Faraz Ahmad, who accepted the defence plea under Section 247-K of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The provision allows early acquittal if there is no reasonable chance of conviction.
The court observed that the prosecution’s case was based on unverified and unsupported allegations. It stated that no direct, circumstantial, or legally admissible evidence linked the accused to the offences.
The judge further noted that continuing the trial would serve no purpose and would only result in unnecessary legal proceedings and hardship for the accused.
The case was registered at Faqirabad police station in Peshawar following violent protests in May 2023, triggered by the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. The unrest had led to multiple cases across the country and resulted in casualties.
According to the FIR, around 250 to 300 individuals were allegedly involved in firing that left two people dead. However, during the trial, legal heirs of one of the deceased stated they had no objection to the acquittal of the accused.
Defence lawyers argued that the accused were not named in the original FIR and were later implicated during the investigation without any eyewitness identification or test identification parade.
The court also highlighted that no incriminating evidence, recovery, or confessional statement was presented against the accused. It further noted that even the prosecution side showed limited interest in pursuing the case during hearings.
With this ruling, all 74 accused have been cleared of charges, bringing closure to one of the multiple cases linked to the May 9–11, 2023 protests.
