Khan’s political party published online videos showing supporters surrounding his home to potentially stop police from reaching it.
Aug. 22, 2022, / Source: Associated Press
By Mushtaq Yusufzai and Associated Press
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Police have filed terrorism charges against former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, authorities said Monday, escalating political tensions in the country as the ousted premier holds mass rallies seeking to return to office.
The terrorism charges come over a speech Khan gave in Islamabad on Saturday in which he vowed to sue police officers and a female judge and alleged that a close aide had been tortured after his arrest.
Khan himself appeared to still be free and had not immediately addressed the police charge sheet being lodged against him. Khan’s political party — Tehreek-e-Insaf, now in the opposition — published online videos showing supporters surrounding his home to potentially stop police from reaching it.
A senior party leader, Shaukat Yousafzai, told NBC News that hundreds of policemen had gathered outside Khan's residence in Islamabad but not yet arrested him. He said thousands of party workers had arrived in the capital and many others were on the way to defend their leader.
“He is a law abiding citizen of the country and doesn’t want to violate the law but if the government wanted to arrest him under same charges of sedition, then it should also take action against all other politicians accused of sedition charges,” Yousafzai said.
Tehreek-e-Insaf warned that it will hold nationwide rallies if Khan is arrested.
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Under Pakistan’s legal system, police file what is known as a first information report about charges against an accused person to a magistrate judge, who allows the investigation to move forward. Typically, police then arrest and question the accused.
The report against Khan includes testimony from Magistrate Judge Ali Javed, who described being at the Islamabad rally on Saturday and hearing Khan criticize the inspector-general of Pakistan’s police and another judge. Khan went on to reportedly say: “You also get ready for it, we will also take action against you. All of you must be ashamed.”
Khan could face several years in prison from the new charges, which accuse him of threatening police officers and the judge. However, he’s not been detained on other lesser charges levied against him in his recent campaigning against the government.
The Pakistani judiciary also has a history of politicization and taking sides in power struggles between the military, the civilian government and opposition politicians, according to the Washington-based advocacy group Freedom House.
Khan came to power in 2018, promising to break the pattern of family rule in Pakistan. His opponents contend he was elected with help from the powerful military, which has ruled the country for half of its 75-year history.
In seeking Khan’s ouster earlier this year, the opposition had accused him of economic mismanagement as inflation soars and the Pakistani rupee plummets in value. The parliament’s no-confidence vote in April that ousted Khan capped months of political turmoil and a constitutional crisis that required the Supreme Court to step in. Meanwhile, it appeared the military similarly had cooled to Khan.
Khan alleged without providing evidence that the Pakistani military took part in a U.S. plot to oust him after he denied the U.S. bases in Pakistan.
Washington, the Pakistani military and the government of Khan’s successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, have all denied that. Meanwhile, Khan has been carrying out a series of mass rallies trying to pressure Sharif’s government.
In his latest speech Sunday night at a rally in the city of Rawalpindi outside of Islamabad, Khan said so-called “neutrals” were behind the recent crackdown against his party. He has in the past used the phrase “neutrals” for the military.
On Sunday, the internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks said internet services in the country blocked access to YouTube after Khan broadcast a live speech on the platform despite a ban issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.
Mushtaq Yusufzai
Pakistan court grants pre-arrest bail to former PM Imran Khan
Islamabad, Aug 22 (EFE).- Pakistan’s High Court of Islamabad granted Monday a three-day pre-arrest bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a case involving terrorism charges, his lawyer said.
“The Islamabad High Court has awarded a three-day protective bail to Imran Khan. We said in the court that he is ready to surrender himself before the law,” Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry told EFE.
“During these three days he will appear at the Anti-terrorism Court and face the charges against him,” he added.
The government registered a case against Khan on Sunday under the Anti-Terrorism Act, following a speech – telecast live on TV – in which he threatened to register a case against police officials for “torturing” party leader Shahbaz Gill in custody.
Khan had also threatened Judge Zeba Chaudhry for approving the police’s request for a second physical remand despite allegedly knowing that Gill was subjected to “torture” during the first remand.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued a notification banning the live telecast of Khan’s speeches.
PEMRA said the former prime minister has been continuously “leveling baseless allegations and spreading hate speech through his provocative statements against state institutions and officers which is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order.”
Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has said it will challenge the ban in court.
Addressing a huge public rally in Rawalpindi on Sunday, Khan leveled a series of allegations against the “neutrals,” referring to the military establishment.
Khan claimed police officials told him that they received orders from the “top,” or the military, to inflict torture on Gill.
The former prime minister also warned the army saying “do whatever you want to do, I will gather my whole nation.”
PTI supporters converged at Khan’s residence in Bani Gala neighborhood in Islamabad on Sunday night, to confront the police in case they came to arrest him.
Moreover, PTI leaders have warned that arresting Khan would be like crossing a “red line,” and would lead to the entire country coming to a standstill.
Khan has accused the United States of orchestrating his ouster from power through a vote of no-confidence in April, for his Russia visit during the start of its invasion of Ukraine. Washington and the Pakistan opposition have denied the charge.
Lately, he has urged the powerful military establishment in Pakistan to play a role in paving way for fresh elections in the country, as he claims the current government does not enjoy the people’s support. EFE
Pakistan bans live broadcast of former PM Imran Khan’s speeches
Islamabad, Aug 21 (EFE).- Pakistan’s media regulator introduced a ban on live broadcasts of Imran Khan’s speeches on Sunday sparking outcry among the former prime minister’s supporters.
The move came hours after Khan criticized the government during a rally in Islamabad.
In his speech, which was broadcast live, Khan warned he would bring lawsuits against high-ranking police officers and magistrate Zeba Chaudhry over the detention of his assistant Shahbaz Gill.
Gill was detained on sedition charges on August 10 and was allegedly tortured while in police custody.
Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said the veto by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) was a sign of fascism.
“Imported Fascists are trying to ban Imran Khan’s speeches on TV,” the PTI tweeted before urging supporters to subscribe to their YouTube channel.
“They have lost the battle completely and are now using fascism” Khan’s party warned.
The regulator said in a notice sent to channels Saturday that Khan, in his speeches, was “continuously alleging state institutions by leveling baseless allegations and spreading hate speech through his provocative statements against state institutions and officers,” Pakistani media reported on Sunday.
A spokesperson for former Prime Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the ban had been imposed out of fear of Khan’s popular interventions.
PEMRA added that only pre-recorded Khan speeches would be aired from now on.
Gill, a close associate of Khan, faces sedition charges over comments he made on a television channel.
The politician was admitted to a state hospital in Islamabad this week after his health deteriorated while in police detention in neighboring Rawalpindi.
According to the PTI leader, Gill was subjected to physical torture, including “sexual abuse” while in police custody.
The move against Khan comes after a report was filed Saturday at an Islamabad police station over his speech inciting people to rebel against state institutions, according to police sources.
A police station official told Efe, on condition of anonymity, that “senior officers” would decide whether to file a case against Khan based on the report.
Khan was ousted from power in a vote of no confidence in April,a move orchestrated by incumbent Shehbaz Sharif. EFE
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