Police file TERRORISM charges against former Pakistan PM Imran Khan after he criticised cops in a speech to supporters
- Pakistani police have filed terrorism charges against former PM Imran Khan
- Khan criticised the inspector-general of Pakistan’s police in a speech on Sunday
- Hundreds of supporters have gathered outside Khan’s home in capital Islamabad
- Khan’s political party said it will hold nationwide rallies if the police arrest Khan
Pakistani police have filed terrorism charges against former prime minister Imran Khan, authorities said, escalating political tensions in the country as the ousted premier holds mass rallies seeking to return to office.
The charges come after Khan gave a speech in Islamabad on Saturday where he alleged that a close aide had been tortured after his arrest.
Khan vowed to sue police officers and a female judge shortly before the terrorism charges were filed against him.
The former prime minister could face several years in prison but appears to still be free and has not addressed the charges lodged against him publicly.
Pakistani police have filed terrorism charges against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, pictured, escalating political tensions in the country as he holds mass rallies seeking to return to office
Supporters of Khan gathered on Monday outside his hilltop mansion in the capital Islamabad, vowing to prevent his arrest, officials of his political party said.
Tehreek-e-Insaf, Khan’s political party, warned it will hold nationwide rallies if the police arrest Khan and published videos online showing supporters surrounding his home.
The protesters chanted slogans against the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which took over after Khan was ousted following a confidence vote in April.
‘If Imran Khan is arrested… we will take over Islamabad,’ a former minister in his cabinet, Ali Amin Gandapur, said on Twitter, as some party leaders urged supporters to prepare for mass mobilisation.
The use of anti-terrorism laws as the basis of cases against political leaders is not uncommon in Pakistan, where Khan’s government also used them against opponents and critics.
Saturday’s police report, seen by Reuters, cited Khan’s comments that he ‘would not spare’ Islamabad’s police chief and a female judge for the arrest of his aide.
‘The purpose of the speech was to spread terror amongst the police and the judiciary and prevent them from doing their duty,’ police said in the report.
Legal experts say the public threats put the officials’ lives at stake and amounted to threatening the state, so that the anti-terrorism charges apply.
The parliament’s no-confidence vote in April that ousted him capped months of political turmoil and a constitutional crisis that required the Supreme Court to step in.
Supporters of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party gather outside his residence in Islamabad today
Supporters gather to protest against possible detention of Imran Khan. Tehreek-e-Insaf, Khan’s political party, warned it will hold nationwide rallies if the police go ahead with the arrest
Back in April, Khan alleged without providing evidence that the Pakistani military took part in a US plot to oust him.
The military, which has ruled directly for over three decades of Pakistan’s 75-year history, has rebuffed Khan’s claim. The US also denies meddling in Pakistani politics.
Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks said services in the country had blocked access to YouTube after Khan broadcast a live speech on the platform despite a ban issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.
‘The purpose of the speech was to spread terror amongst the police and the judiciary and prevent them from doing their duty,’ the report by the police said.
Police arrested Khan’s political aide, Shahbaz Gill, earlier this month after he appeared on the private television channel ARY TV and urged soldiers and officers to refuse to obey ‘illegal orders’ from the military leadership.
Gill was charged with treason, which under Pakistani law carries the death penalty.
Khan has alleged that police abused Gill in custody. Police say Gill suffers from asthma and has not been abused while detained.
Police in Karachi separately arrested journalist Jameel Farooqi, is a vocal supporter of Khan, over his allegations that Gill had been tortured by police.
Source: Read Full Article
