Rawalpindi — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s nephew Hassan Khan Niazi is among 60 more “culprits” sentenced by the military court for their involvement in the May 9 riots, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.

“The Field General Court Martial has promulgated the punishments to the following remaining 60 culprits after examining all evidence, ensuring the provision of all legal rights to the convicts, completion of due process and the appropriate legal proceedings,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a press release.

Underscoring the conclusion of the military trial of all the accused, involved in the May 9 riots, under military custody, the ISPR noted that all the convicted individuals retained the right to appeal and other legal resources, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the law.

“The nation, government, and the armed forces remain steadfast in their commitment to upholding justice and ensuring that the inviolable writ of the state is maintained,” said the ISPR.

The development came days after the military courts, on December 21, sentenced 25 civilians to periods of two to 10 years of “rigorous imprisonment” in connection with attacks on military facilities in 2023, the ISPR had said.

The US, UK and EU had expressed concerns over the sentencing of the civilians by the military courts, maintaining that the convictions were against the international law.

Responding to the concerns raised by the foreign countries, the Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday said that the military courts’ judgments were made under a law enacted by the parliament and in line with the ruling of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In a statement, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “Pakistan is fully committed to fulfilling all its international human rights obligations.”

Speaking to Geo News, Brigadier (retd) Waqar Hassan called for bringing “master planners” of the riots to the justice.

He further said the May 9 rioters were receiving instructions from abroad to target the military installations.

“Some people were victims of political schemes. It’s crucial to apprehend those behind this [May 9 riots],” he added.

Syed Muhammad Ali, an expert on national security affairs, said the sentences were not announced in haste and the due process was followed.

He said the Field Marshal is aware of right to appeal “so certainly would have taken all due care”.

“No constitutional or international rights give right to attack state institutions.”

Referring to the western countries, the expert further questioned the conduct of those countries criticizing the military courts decision, asking what have they during war on terror.

“They themselves did not respect constitution of so many countries.”

The May 9 riots refer to the violent protests triggered by the arrest of the PTI founder in a corruption case last year. The protests saw attacks on public military installations including General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Lahore corps commander house and several others in different parts of the country.

The military trials were initially halted after a Supreme Court ruling; however, the constitutional bench earlier this month directed that the cases pending due to the earlier order be finalised and judgements in the cases of those accused found involved in these violent incidents be announced.

The PTI has distanced itself from the violent protests and demanded the formation of judicial commission to probe the May 9 events. — (Geo News)

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s main opposition party introduced a bill on Thursday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo, accusing him of obstructing the constitutional process to remove his predecessor, President Yoon Suk Yeol, from office, as reported by AFP.

The move follows a deepening constitutional crisis sparked by Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3, which led to his suspension by parliament on December 14. However, a ruling from the Constitutional Court is needed to finalize his impeachment.

Han Duck-soo, who serves as acting president in Yoon’s absence, has refused to appoint three judge nominees to fill vacancies in the nine-member Constitutional Court. This refusal has stalled the impeachment process, as all six current judges would need to unanimously agree to remove Yoon from office, and any dissent would reinstate him.

The opposition Democratic Party has now filed an impeachment motion against Han, accusing him of failing to fulfill his duties in upholding the Constitution. “We have filed the motion… and will report it to the plenary session today,” said MP Park Sung-joon. “We will put it to a vote tomorrow.”

Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party’s floor leader, said, “Han’s refusal to formally appoint the three judges proves that he does not have the will or qualification to uphold the Constitution.”

Han has argued that the appointment of judges should be based on a consensus between the ruling and opposition parties, adding that such a compromise is essential for national unity.

If the impeachment motion passes on Friday, it would mark the first time in democratic South Korea’s history that an acting president is impeached. If Han is removed, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok would take over as acting president.

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Violent clashes erupted in the Syrian village of Khirbet al-Ma’za in the southern countryside of Tartous, resulting in the deaths of 14 Public Security Forces personnel and three militants, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian war monitor.

The conflict began when a patrol team from the General Security Forces, under the Military Operations Department, attempted to apprehend Muhammad Kanjo Hassan, a former regime officer. Resistance from Hassan’s followers and local gunmen escalated into a deadly ambush and further clashes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in a statement on Thursday said, “14 members of the Public Security Forces were killed in clashes with gunmen in the village of Khirbet al-Ma’za in the southern countryside of Tartous. Three militants were also killed, in addition to injuries on both sides.”

“The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that a patrol from the General Security Forces affiliated with the Military Operations Department was on a mission to arrest an officer in the former regime forces, Muhammad Kanjo Hassan, who held the position of Director of the Military Justice Department and Head of the Field Court from his place of residence in Khirbet al-Ma’za in the Tartous countryside. During the search for him, the wanted man’s brother and armed young men from the officer’s followers intercepted them and expelled the patrol from the village, set up an ambush for them near the village, and targeted one of the patrol cars,” the statement added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights further said that the Military Operations Department sent military reinforcements to arrest the militants in the village, and violent clashes took place with the Military Operations Department elements.

The Syrian Observatory indicated that violent clashes took place between gunmen from the village of Khirbet al-Ma’za in Tartous, and the General Security Forces affiliated with the Military Operations Department. The gunmen targeted a car belonging to the General Security Forces, which led to its burning, amid violent clashes between the two parties, and deaths on both sides.

The Syrian opposition fighters took control of Damascus on December 8, leading to Assad’s flight and ending his regime after over 13 years of civil war.

Forces loyal to al-Sharaa have established a three-month caretaker government. On the same day, Qatar called for the swift lifting of sanctions on Syria, following the reopening of its embassy in Damascus and a high-level visit that marked a shift in diplomatic relations. (ANI)