Home WORLD NEWS Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan charged under ‘anti-terror’ law

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan charged under ‘anti-terror’ law

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The Pakistani police have charged Imran Khan under anti-terror law, authorities said on Monday, days after the former prime minister attacked the police and a judicial officer at a huge rally in the capital, Islamabad.

The police case comes a day after the country’s top media regulatory body imposed a ban on Khan’s speeches for “spreading hate speech” against “state institutions and officers”, escalating political tensions in the country as he has been holding mass rallies seeking to return to office.

In his speech on Saturday, the former prime minister promised to sue police officers and a female judge and alleged that a close aide had been tortured after his arrest.

He double down on his criticism of state institutions at another rally on Sunday, saying the police acted under pressure from ‘neutrals’, a common euphemism for Pakistan’s military establishment.

“On May 25 when police perpetrated violence against us, I was told by insiders that police acted under orders by above, which means they were under pressure by the neutrals to thrash [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] PTI workers,” he said at the rally in Rawalpindi. “Are the neutrals really neutral?” he asked”.

Khan could face several years in prison for the new charges, which accuse him of threatening police officers and the judge. However, he has not been arrested on other lesser charges against him in his recent campaigning against the government.

He has not responded to the chargesheet.

Under Pakistan’s legal system, the police usually file a first information report (FIR) about the charges against an accused 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 Judge Ali Javed, who described being at the Islamabad rally and hearing Khan criticise the inspector general of Pakistan’s police and another judge.

Khan reportedly said: “You also get ready for it, we will also take action against you. All of you must be ashamed.”

Khan’s PTI party posted videos online showing supporters surrounding his home apparently to stop police from reaching it. Hundreds remained there early on Monday.

“If Imran Khan is arrested … we will take over Islamabad with people’s power,” a former minister in his cabinet, Ali Amin Gandapur, threatened on Twitter, as some party leaders urged supporters to prepare for mass mobilisation.

Khan’s aide, Fawad Chaudhry, told reporters outside an Islamabad court that the party had applied for bail for the leader ahead of any arrest.

The return of street violence?

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the return of street violence was a strong possibility.

“If Imran Khan gives the call to his supporters to come out in large numbers, there is fear that they [the government] will clamp down hard, which will definitely evoke a reaction from the people,” Hyder said.

The Pakistani judiciary also has a history of politicisation and taking sides in power struggles between the military, the civilian government and opposition politicians, according to the Washington, DC-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.

He was removed from power in April in a no-confidence vote brought by the opposition, accusing him of economic mismanagement as inflation soared and the Pakistani rupee plummeted in value.

The cricketer-turned-politician has alleged he was deposed in a US-led plot, dubbing the succeeding government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as an “imported government”. He has also blamed the “establishment”, indirectly taking aim at the country’s powerful army. But he has not provided proof in support of his allegations.

Washington and Sharif have denied the allegations.

Khan has been carrying out a series of mass rallies across the country, trying to pressure Sharif’s government.

Al Jazeera’s Hyder said the current situation could lead to a dangerous escalation that could further complicate Pakistan’s economic woes and bring its politics to a virtual standstill.

“The people of Pakistan want a fresh election. They do not recognise this 13-party coalition, which has been unable to deliver. Inflation is at an all-time high. Prices of fuel and electricity have also shot up. There is a lot of unease.”

On Sunday, global internet monitor NetBlocks said internet services in the country blocked access to YouTube after Khan broadcast a live speech on the platform despite a ban by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.

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. ARY also remains off-air in Pakistan following the broadcast.

Khan accused police of abusing Gill in custody. Police say Gill suffers from asthma and has not been abused in detention.

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