May 9 riots
The May 9 riots ', also called the May 9 protests, and observed as Black Day' by the Pakistani government, were a series of violent riots that took place on 9 May 2023 in Pakistan. Following the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, from the grounds of the Islamabad High Court, nationwide demonstrations held by PTI's supporters descended into violent riots. Incidents of vandalism, looting, and arson resulted in worth of damage inflicted to government and military facilities by PTI workers and members of the public.
As the protests descended into violence and chaos and protestors began attacking law enforcement officers and public buildings, the government responded with a cellular service and internet blockade and a crackdown against the rioters, PTI leaders, workers, and supporters, as well as those perceived to be allied to the party's cause within the media and legal fraternity. Trials of civilians within military courts were also initiated and are being challenged in the country's Supreme Court. The government also accused former Inter-Services Intelligence director Lt Gen Faiz Hameed of planning the riots in collaboration with Imran Khan.
Background
, the PTI leader and former Pakistani prime minister, was arrested by paramilitary troops on 9 May 2023. The arrest came in view of multiple legal cases against Khan, including the Toshakhana case, which accused him of unlawfully selling gifts received from foreign dignitaries; the Cipher case, which alleged he disclosed a classified diplomatic cable; and the Al Qadir Trust Case, in which Khan was accused of using his position as prime minister to facilitate a settlement between the Pakistani government and businessman Malik Riaz after the UK's NCA returned approximately million to Pakistan. In exchange, Riaz allegedly donated 458 kanals of land to the Al-Qadir University Trust, a charity associated with Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. In response, PTI supporters and workers - who believe the arrest was politically charged - began to demonstrate against Khan's arrest in a number of cities, including in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan.Riots and violence
Acts of arson, vandalism, and assaults on governmental and military facilities were committed by the rioters, with 62 documented outbreaks of violence, and approximately 40 public buildings and military installations were damaged in the aftermath.Among the buildings attacked and damaged in the riots were the Lahore Corps Commander’s House and Askari Tower in Lahore, the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, an Inter-Services Intelligence office in Faisalabad, a Frontier Corps fort in Chakdara, a toll plaza at Swat Motorway, and the Mianwali Air Base. A Radio Pakistan building in Peshawar was attacked, stormed, and set on fire by rioters as well, leaving one employee hospitalized with serious burns.
Reporters trying to cover the protests in Peshawar were also attacked by protesters. The satellite transmission vehicles of Dawn News TV, Aaj News, Khyber News and Express News were subjected to rock throwing and baton attacks by rioters. A Dawn News TV truck was badly damaged and journalist Arif Hayat was injured by flying glass. Express News reporter Vishal Khan was also among those attacked by protesters.
Punjab Police, utilizing geo-fencing reports, accused key PTI leaders of orchestrating attacks on the residence of the Lahore corps commander and other critical locations. Police alleged that over 400 calls were made by PTI leaders directing the rioters toward these targets. Inspector General of Police Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar, confirmed the deployment of geo-fencing to monitor these communication and he alleged Imran Khan as a principal suspect in planning the assaults. Additional PTI leaders implicated were Hammad Azhar, Yasmin Rashid, Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Ejaz Chaudhary, Mian Aslam Iqbal, and Murad Raas, all allegedly in contact with the rioters, providing precise directives for the attacks.
Anti-terrorism legislation was used, and numerous prosecutions were filed against those allegedly responsible for the riots. Multiple PTI workers were killed by law enforcement officers who fired live ammunition; one died in Quetta and four were killed in Peshawar. Along with several deaths, hundreds of rioters and law enforcement officers sustained injuries.
Governmental response
The Punjab Home Department established 53 Joint Investigation Teams made up of police personnel to investigate the cases reported in relation to the riots thoroughly in reaction to the mounting violence. With the consent of the Punjab cabinet subcommittee on law and order, several JITs were created. Each JIT was given a prosecutor from the prosecution department to help with the investigation.Arrests and proceedings
Over a thousand people have reportedly been arrested in connection with the rioting in Lahore alone, according to reports from the Punjab Police. According to reports, around 3,200 suspected rioters were detained across Punjab, Pakistan. Numerous cases were reported to the police, the bulk of which were covered by anti-terrorism regulations. The most severely affected cities were Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan, with variable numbers of cases reported in each place.Aftermath
Crackdown against the PTI
A crackdown was initiated against PTI leaders and workers, with thousands arrested, with rights groups raising concerns regarding arbitrary arrests, custodial torture, and forced disappearances. PTI leaders were forced to quit party/party positions in televised press conferences. Businesses of PTI leaders who did not quit the party were sealed. Family members of PTI leaders who went into hiding were harassed by police and military intelligence forces. In many instances, their houses were raided late at night and ransacked; valuables were also seized; the dowry for Mian Aslam Iqbal's daughter's wedding was seized by Punjab Police; and the homes of Lal Chand Malhi and Ali Nawaz Awan were demolished. A crackdown was also initiated on vocal women supporters of Khan's party - the most prominent of which was Khadija Shah, a businesswoman and granddaughter of former Pakistani Army Chief, Asif Nawaz Janjua. Former Federal Ministers, Shehryar Khan Afridi and Ali Muhammad Khan, former Governor Punjab Omer Sarfraz Cheema, and former Punjab provincial ministers, Yasmin Rashid and Mehmood-ur-Rasheed have been incarcerated since the end of the riots. Even once released by the courts, they were immediately re-arrested in other cases; Khan has been rearrested six times, while Afridi, and Rashid have been rearrested twice. Cheema's wife was arrested as she came to attend her husband's hearing. Afridi was not allowed to attend his brother's funeral and was kept in inhumane conditions in a 'death cell' reserved for those on death row.Media censorship and abduction of journalists
coverage was suspended as riots spread throughout the country. The ban effected gig workers, including those working for Uber, Foodpanda, and Careem, as well as freelancers and remote workers who relied on mobile internet. It was estimated that during the three days that mobile internet remained suspended, Pakistan's telecom companies bore a loss of, while the country's software export industry lost. Internet was fully restored across the country on 13 May 2023. The ban was criticized by GSMA as it urged to restore internet services in the country.Access to social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, was also restricted in the aftermath of the riots. Both the blockage of internet and social media were implemented by Pakistan Telecom Authority after a notification for the same was issued by the interior ministry, under Rana Sanaullah. Access to social media was fully restored by 16 May 2023. However, the government has hinted at another social media blockage with defense minister, Khawaja Asif, claiming that "the script of the May 9 violence was prepared via social media".
The Intercept reported that several leading media houses were called to a secret meeting by the Pakistan Army in which they were directed to ban all coverage of Imran Khan. As a result, Khan's name disappeared overnight from all local print and electronic media, with journalists euphemistically referring to him as "Qasim ke Abba" as the moniker became a top twitter trend in Pakistan.
Journalists that were seen as aligned with the PTI were targeted. Imran Riaz Khan, one of the most popular journalists on Pakistani social media, was kidnapped from outside Sialkot Central Jail on 11 May 2023 after being initially detained by Punjab Police. He has since remained missing as the chief of Punjab Police, Usman Anwar, put the blame on military agencies for his disappearance in front of the Lahore High Court, and expressed his inability to locate the journalist. Another prominent journalist, Sami Ibrahim, head of Bol News was picked up from Islamabad on 24 May 2023 before being released on 30 May. Reporters without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists raised concern over the abductions.
In January 2026, an anti-terrorism court convicted and sentenced eight journalists and social media commentators to life imprisonment in absentia for terrorism-related offences linked to online content supporting Imran Khan. The court ruled that their digital activity "promoted fear" and unrest under anti-terrorism laws. Those sentenced include former army officers who later became YouTubers, Adil Raja and Syed Akbar Hussain, along with journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai, as well as commentator Haider Raza Mehdi and political analyst Moeed Pirzada. Saeed Khan, describing the ruling as 'political theatre', stated that he was never served a summon or notified of any proceedings, and never contacted by the court. The Committee to Protect Journalists had labelled the investigations as a retaliatory act against critical reporting in 2023.