RAWALPINDI: The sentences of as many as 19 convicts have been pardoned after they appealed for mercy, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said yesterday.

A total of 67 convicts have filed mercy petitions, of which 48 have been processed to Courts of Appeal, whereas, pleas of 19 convicts have been accepted purely on humanitarian grounds, in line with the law, added the military's media wing.

Noting that the remaining mercy petitions will be decided in due course of time, following the legal process, the ISPR said that the 19 individuals, whose appeals have been accepted, shall be released after the completion of procedural formalities.

Referring to the release of 20 convicts on humanitarian grounds in April 2024, the statement underscored the "strength of the due process and fairness, which ensures that justice is served while also taking into account the principles of compassion and mercy".

Providing details of the legal technicalities, legal expert Muneeb Farooq told Geo News that mercy appeals are filed before the Chief of Army Staff.

The individuals pardoned all of whom were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment are among those sentenced on December 21 and December 26, 2024. The military court had first punished 25 individuals and a few days later, handed down punishments to 60 people.

The second batch of convicts also included Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan's nephew Hassan Khan Niazi, who faces 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for his role in the Jinnah House incident.

The May 9 riots refer to the violent protests triggered by the arrest of the PTI founder in a corruption case in 2023.

The protests saw attacks on public and military installations - including General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Lahore corps commander house, also known as Jinnah House, and several others across the country.

The military trials were initially halted after a Supreme Court ruling; however, the constitutional bench 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.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 03 2025

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