Punjab Police Inspector General (IG) Usman Anwar declared on Sunday his intent to contest the exoneration of Dr. Yasmin Rashid in the Jinnah House arson case. In a press conference held in Lahore, he accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of spreading misinformation on social media about the case. IG Anwar claimed the police sought information on three matters from Rashid, yet the court discarded the case. He expressed that the full truth can only be discerned after a remand.
He confirmed that the decision of the anti-terrorism court (ATC) will be challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC). IG Anwar indicated significant parallels in the call data linked to the March 8 and May 9 riots. Following successful identification, he said, the culprits were arrested.
He disputed PTI’s claim that police brutality resulted in the death of Ali Bilal, a participant in a PTI rally near party chief Imran Khan’s residence on March 8. IG Anwar argued that Bilal’s death was due to a misinterpreted “road accident.”
Of all calls analyzed, 154 were identical, with Rashid allegedly responsible for 41, the IG disclosed. Additionally, he noted the identities of 170 individuals involved in the incidents were identified through WhatsApp groups.
Providing further details on the May 9 incidents, IG Anwar suggested that the attacks on locations such as Jinnah House, GHQ, and Radio Pakistan were carefully planned and executed concurrently. He promised that all call records during these incidents will be submitted as evidence in court. IG Anwar also voiced his concern over disrespecting martyrs’ memorials on May 9 and decried the dissemination of propaganda against media organizations on social platforms.
