ISLAMABAD: As the country marks the first anniversary of the May 9 tragedy, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on Thursday visited Lahore Garrison, where he said that there could be “no deal with the architects and plotters of the violent protests”.Riots broke out in many parts of the country, especially in Rawalpindi, with charged mobs vandalising private and public properties including military installations following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s arrest on this day last year. As per a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief said that the plotters of the riots and violent protests were “brazenly and shamelessly trying to twist the narrative and implicate the state in this despicable endeavour”. “This mindset is precisely the reason why there can be no compromise or deal with the planners and architects of this dark chapter in our history,” he added. On the occasion, the COAS was given a detailed briefing on the operational preparedness of the formation, the military’s media wing said. It stated that General Munir also laid a floral wreath at the Martyrs’ Monument and paid solemn tribute to the Shuhada who sacrificed their lives for the motherland. While addressing the Garrison officers and soldiers at the Corps Headquarters, COAS Gen Munir lauded the troops for their services to the nation and appreciated their professionalism. “9th May will undoubtedly remain a black day in the history of Pakistan when deliberately indoctrinated and insidiously guided miscreants attacked the symbols of the state and national unity, disgracefully desecrating the Shuhada monuments,” he asserted. He said that “these deplorable acts” of criminally orchestrated violence provided the enemies of Pakistan an opportunity to mock the state and the nation. The army chief went on to say that the gullible elements, who did not understand the real motive behind this criminal enterprise and were used as cannon fodder for the political ambitions of the masterminds, have already been accorded reasonable benefit of the doubt on the direction of Supreme Court of Pakistan.