ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s caretaker administration has constituted a five-member cabinet committee to look into the riots that broke out last year on May 9 with the objective to identify their “mastermind, planners, facilitators and executors” and determine the role played by each one of them.
The unrest that led to vandalism and arson attacks targeting government buildings and military properties was triggered following a brief arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan from an Islamabad court on graft charges.
Subsequently, a crackdown was launched against Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party whose national and provincial leaders were rounded up and sent to prison, prompting the political faction to distance itself from the violent developments of the day.
In a notification brought out by the Cabinet Division on Friday, the government announced the composition of the committee, saying the law minister would be its convener while ministers for interior, information and human rights would act as its members. The notification added the committee would also be joined by “any co-opted Member to address any issue emanating during the proceedings.”
“The Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the Committee are as under,” it said. “(i) To examine the events leading up to the incidents of 9th May, 2023, with a view to ascertain the identity and role of mastermind, planners, facilitators and executors; (ii) To analyze the causes, and determine responsibility for these events; (iii) To evaluate their immediate and long-term implications; (iv) To suggest preventive measures to ensure that such a breach of national security is not repeated; and (v) Recommend measures to strengthen the existing legal regime to deter such recurrences.”
The notification announced the interior ministry would provide secretarial support to the committee, which would submit its report for the cabinet’s consideration within a 14-day period.
The events of May 9 were described as the “black chapter” in Pakistan’s history by the country’s security forces.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said in an interview last month that people involved in the May 9 violence should face the full force of the law.
He maintained that people with “disruptive political behavior” should not be allowed to hold public office or get “great responsibilities of the state” while adding it was his personal opinion and any decision in this connection rested with the country’s election regulatory body.
Khan, who has been accused of being behind the May 9 events, is already in a high-security prison and facing a number of serious allegations against him.
His party has said its top leaders have been sidelined by the government ahead of the national polls in February, adding that it is not getting a “level playing field” for the political contest.
Pakistan forms cabinet committee to identify ‘mastermind and planners’ of May 9 riots
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Pakistan forms cabinet committee to identify ‘mastermind and planners’ of May 9 riots
- The committee will probe the violence that broke out last year when ex-PM Khan was briefly detained on graft charges
- Caretaker Prime Minister Kakar has already said people involved in May 9 violence should face the full force of the law
Pakistan says responding to Afghan ‘offensive operations’ after border fire as tensions escalate
- Afghan Taliban spokesperson says “large-scale offensive operations” launched against Pakistani military bases
- Pakistan says Afghan forces opened “unprovoked” fire across multiple sectors along shared border
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said on Thursday they had launched “large-scale offensive operations” against Pakistani military bases and installations, prompting Pakistan to say its forces were responding to what it described as unprovoked fire along the shared border.
The escalation follows Islamabad’s weekend airstrikes targeting what it said were Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militant camps inside Afghanistan in response to a wave of recent bombings and attacks in Pakistan. Islamabad said the strikes killed over 100 militants, while Kabul said dozens of civilians were killed and condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty.
In a post on social media platform X, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan had launched “large-scale offensive operations” in response to repeated violations by the Pakistani military.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said Afghan forces had initiated hostilities along multiple points of the frontier.
“Afghan Taliban regime unprovoked action along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border given an immediate, and effective response,” the ministry said in a statement.
The statement said Pakistani forces were targeting Taliban positions in the Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors, claiming heavy Afghan casualties and the destruction of multiple posts and equipment. It added that Pakistan would take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial integrity and the security of its citizens.
Separately, security officials said Pakistani forces had carried out counterattacks in several border sectors.
“Pakistan’s security forces are giving a befitting reply to the unprovoked Afghan aggression with full force,” a security official said, declining to be named.
“The Pakistani security forces’ counter-attack destroyed Taliban’s hideouts and the Khawarij fled,” they added, referring to TTP militants.
The claims from both sides could not be independently verified.
Cross-border violence has intensified in recent weeks, with Pakistan blaming a surge in suicide bombings and militant attacks on militants it says are based in Afghanistan. Kabul denies providing safe havens to anti-Pakistan militant groups.
The clashes mark the third major escalation between the neighbors in less than a year. Similar Pakistani strikes last year triggered weeklong clashes before Qatar, Türkiye and other regional actors mediated a ceasefire in October.
The 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) frontier, a key trade and transit corridor linking Pakistan to landlocked Afghanistan and onward to Central Asia, has faced repeated closures amid tensions, disrupting commerce and humanitarian movement. Trade between the two nations has remained closed since October 2025.
