Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Usman Dar, who recently reappeared after going missing for weeks, has made startling claims regarding the May 9 riots in Pakistan. Dar alleges that former Prime Minister Imran Khan orchestrated the attacks with the intent of ousting Army Chief Gen Asim Munir from his position.
During an interview on a local TV channel, Dar asserted that Imran Khan’s long march aimed at preventing the appointment of a new army chief. He claimed that Khan had information suggesting that protests could either influence Gen Asim’s appointment or force his removal.
PTI has dismissed Dar’s claims, labeling them as old and coerced. They contend that Dar abducted in Karachi on September 10 and resurfaced 24 days later, local police denied claim.
In the interview, Dar also announced his resignation from PTI and politics, stating that he began his political journey with the party led by Imran Khan and is now concluding it from the same starting point.
Regarding the May 9 violence, Dar argued that it didn’t happen overnight but was the result of a long-standing anti-state narrative that Khan had been promoting since his removal from the prime minister’s office through a vote of no-confidence.
Dar suggested that there were two factions within PTI after it lost power: one advocated confrontation with the state institution (the Army), while the other supported a politics of reconciliation. He claimed that Khan supported the confrontational faction.
Dar attributed the party’s current situation to Khan’s decisions and emphasized that the upcoming elections would determine the party’s direction. He suggested that if the governments in two provinces hadn’t dissolved, the events of May 9 might not have occurred.
Dar noted that PTI’s foundations severely affected by the May 9 events, particularly impacting grassroots workers.
In response, PTI dismissed Dar’s interview, stating that it holds no significance in the public eye and lacks legal status. They argued that Dar’s appearance after 24 days in captivity exposed the kidnappers, citing physical and mental evidence of violence and coercion during his enforced disappearance.
 leader Usman Dar, who recently reappeared after going missing for weeks, has made startling claims regarding the May 9 riots in Pakistan.){kind=link}