LAHORE: Several leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including Mian Aslam Iqbal, the party’s candidate for Chief Minister of Punjab, have been declared absconders in the May 9 case.

The case, concerning the setting of fire to containers at Kalma Chowk on May 9, was heard by an anti-terrorism court in Lahore, which declared 11 PTI candidates as absconders.

These candidates include Mian Aslam Iqbal, Azam Swati, Zubair Niazi, Murad Saeed, Hamad Azhar, Imtiaz Sheikh, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Mussarat Iqbal Cheema, Jamshed Cheema, Hamid Raza Gilani, and Siyad Khan.

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Earlier today, Gohar Ali Khan, a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), announced that the party founder had approved Mian Aslam Iqbal’s candidacy for the Chief Minister of Punjab position.

Additionally, an arrest warrant has been issued for Ali Amin Gandapur, another PTI leader, by the Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, accusing him of insulting the commission and violating the electoral code of conduct.

The May 9 violence erupted across Pakistan after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 9, 2023. Protestors, particularly PTI workers, expressed their agitation through violent clashes in both remote areas and major cities.

Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad sought the intervention of the armed forces to maintain law and order during the protests. Army installations, including the Corps Commander’s house in Lahore, were targeted by PTI workers during the protests.

It’s important to note that the PTI founder is implicated as the main accused in all cases related to the May 9 riots.