Removal requests must be filed after receipt of cabinet minutes, leaving no matters pending following the May protests
Protesters throw stones after police fired tear gas to disperse them in Lahore, May 9, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government plans to withdraw over 55 cases filed against PTI workers during the May 9-10 protests after a cabinet decision.
Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel said 319 cases were registered during the protests. Most of the accused were acquitted or released due to lack of sufficient evidence. The 55 pending cases will be withdrawn once the minutes of the cabinet meetings are received, and Additional Advocate General Inam Yousafzai has been appointed as special prosecutor to oversee the process.
Read: KP government decides to cancel May 9 affairs
Some cases did not include anti-terrorism clauses, while others were decided after responses were submitted to the court. The 55 files without a response will be those which will be withdrawn. Of the cases covered by the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 29 remain pending, while 23 resulted in eight acquittals. The remaining cases were transferred to regular courts because the provisions of the ATA could not be enforced.
Six cases remain pending, responses have been submitted for one and the other five are still ongoing. Once the cabinet minutes are received, removal applications will be filed and argued in court, leaving no cases pending following the protests.
Learn more: KP government abandons May 9 affairs of caretaker era
According to a report released on Saturday, 416 terrorism cases are pending in 10 anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Peshawar accounts for 192 of these cases in three courts.
As of November 2025, 100 cases have been adjudicated across the province. Peshawar resolved 57, Matta 15 and Mardan seven, while Swat and Upper Dir decided three each. Meanwhile, the courts of Buner, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan have not decided any.
