Pakistan erupts as anger grows
KHAN FACES TERROR CHARGES FOR INCITING REVOLT
ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of supporters of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan have rallied outside his home amid warnings that a “people power” movement could overthrow the government after he was charged with terrorism offences.
Mr Khan, Pakistan’s former cricket captain, was charged after a speech at the weekend in which he vowed that he and his growing band of supporters “will not spare” a female judge and the police chief of Islamabad after the arrest and alleged torture of one of his aides.
He also said that Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister who took over after Mr Khan was deposed in a parliamentary confidence vote in April, faced the same fate as Sri Lanka’s ex-president, who was forced from power when his palace was overwhelmed by protesters last month.
“A plan has been made to place our party against the wall,” Mr Khan said. “I assure you the Sri Lankan situation is going to happen here. Now we are following law and constitution. But when a political party strays from that path, who’ll stop the public? There are 220 million people.”
The government responded angrily to his threats and the charges followed. If Mr Khan, 69, is convicted, he faces years in prison.
Rana Sanaullah, the interior minister, tweeted that Mr Khan “will have to face the law for threatening and hurling abuses at the magistrate and police officers. Such acts of brazen thuggery are responsible for instigating extremism in society. You are not allowed to challenge the writ of the state by inciting rebellion.”
Mr Khan’s lawyers said they would contest the charges and had applied for protective bail to prevent his arrest. No attempt has been made to take him into custody. An ally published a photograph online of Mr Khan holding a meeting at his hilltop home in Islamabad, as hundreds of his supporters surrounded his home forming a human shield to stop him from being arrested.
“Imran Khan is our red line,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a member of Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said. “The conspirators will have to face the reaction of the entire nation.”
PTI has promised to hold mass rallies if the arrest goes ahead. Ali Amin Gandapur, another former minister, said: “If Imran Khan is arrested by the imported government, we will take over Islamabad.”
Since being forced from power, Mr Khan’s popularity has surged as Pakistanis, like Sri Lankans, struggle with an economic crisis caused in part by the war in Ukraine.
Mr Khan has claimed that his fall was because of an American plot, prompted by his support for President Putin. More credibly, he also blames it on plotters in Pakistan’s armed forces.
Shahbaz Gill, his chief of staff, was charged with treason for a speech in which he urged soldiers to disobey “illegal orders”. The police deny claims Mr Gill has been tortured and abused in custody.