Pakistan to try ex-PM Khan's violent supporters under army laws

Firefighters try to douse a bus that caught fire during clashes with the supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's civilian and military leaders on Tuesday said that rioters and their backers who attacked state assets and military installations to protest the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan will be tried under army laws.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It is an endorsement of the military, which said on Monday that the rioters and their handlers had been identified, and would be tried under army laws.