Lahore: A 12-member forensic team arrived at Adiala Jail on Tuesday to conduct a polygraph test on Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan in connection with last year's unprecedented violence in the country, according to a media report. The May 9 riots in 2023 were triggered across the country after 71-year-old Khan was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a 190-million-pound corruption case. He faces over 200 cases and has been in jail since August last year.
The Lahore police team, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police arrived at the prison premises to conduct the tests, the Express Tribune reported. They were accompanied by experts from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA), the report said. The PFSA experts will perform polygraph, voice matching, and photogrammetry tests on the former prime minister. The Lahore police team will also question Khan about various aspects of the May 9 incident during the examination.
During the May 9 protests, alleged PTI workers and supporters attacked and vandalised military installations including the General Headquarters as well as monuments. After the unprecedented violence, authorities swung into action and initiated a massive crackdown against the PTI while also holding trials of over 100 PTI workers in military courts. Civil and military authorities have been accusing Khan of planning the May 9 conspiracy ahead of his arrest, a claim vehemently rejected by Imran and his party.
Khan denied giving orders for vandalising state properties but did acknowledge that he had asked his party to stage a peaceful protest outside the GHQ in case of his arrest. Khan has been imprisoned at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for almost a year upon his conviction in three cases — the Toshakhana corruption case, the cipher case, and the un-Islamic marriage case -- in which his wife, Bushra Bibi, is also jailed.
Though the former-cricketer-turned-politician had secured bail or his conviction was set aside, he has not been released.
Khan was arrested on August 5 last year after his conviction in the first Toshakhana corruption case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Since then, he has been kept in jail in various cases.
(With inputs from agency)
