In honor of Eidul Azha, on Thursday, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, the leader of the Awami Muslim League and a former interior minister, made a plea to ISI Director General Nadeem Anjum and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir to pardon those detained in relation to the May 9 riots.

Almost 80 to 90 percent of those charged with various offenses [in the May 9 cases] were innocent, Rashid noted while addressing a group of reporters on the grounds of the Islamabad sessions court.

The head of AML also called for the release of PTI’s female leaders, Alia Hamza and Sanam Javed, citing her treatment as “queens of Jhansi” and her worry over how they were being moved from jail to jail.

Rashid bemoaned that criminals in Rawalpindi were even targeting funeral processions, voicing alarm over the worsening security conditions and rising inflation.

In spite of his concerns regarding the release of individuals detained on suspicion of involvement with the events of May 9 after serving a year in jail, Rashid emphasized the value of the army’s honor and dignity to all Pakistanis.

Pointing out that Pakistani investors were fleeing the nation, the former minister issued a dire warning. During his time as a minister under Pervez Musharraf, he inked investment agreements with China, but he regretted that they were now on hold.

A complaint pertaining to vandalism during PTI’s Azadi March was heard earlier by Sheikh Rashid and his attorney Ali Nawaz Awan at Islamabad’s District and Sessions Court.

However, due to Civil Judge Malik Muhammad Imran’s absence, the hearing was pushed back to June 10.

The PTI founder Imran Khan, Sheikh Rashid, and other individuals were the targets of a case filed at the I-9 police station.