On Sunday, Magistrate Ali Javed filed a First Information Report (FIR) against former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening judges and police officials during a rally in Islamabad.
Javed alleged that Khan had “terrorised” and attempted to dissuade legal officials from performing their duties and spread unrest.
During a rally attended by thousands on Saturday, Khan voiced his support for his chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, whom he claimed has faced “gruesome torture” at the hands of the police. The former PM alleged that authorities are forcing Gill, who was arrested on August 9 on charges of “sedition” and “abetting mutiny,” to issue a statement against him.
Meanwhile F-9 Park waiting for Chairman’s rally! #شہباز_گل_کو_رہا_کرو pic.twitter.com/QyCvWZ9goe
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 20, 2022
Khan thus argued that the Sharif government is trying to intimidate the opposition parties, and told his supporters that Pakistan has reached a “decisive moment” to achieve “real freedom.” In this regard, he declared a nationwide “Haqiqi Azadi Tehreek,” a ‘real’ independence movement.
The former leader vowed to file cases against Islamabad’s inspector-general, deputy inspector general, as well as Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry for their role in the “torture” of Shahbaz Gill. He vowed that he would “not leave” and would “not spare” them.
Khan also called for Chaudhry, who had approved the police’s request for Gill’s two-day physical remand, to be held accountable, asking, “Magistrate Zeba, when a man was brought to you after torture, you handed him over to the police again… did you do justice as a judge?” In addition, he vowed to file cases against ruling PM Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah previously has further accused Khan of “lying” and reassured that Gill had not been tortured.
This is not only a gross violation of freedom of speech but also negatively affects the digital media industry and the livelihoods of many. What they need to understand is that no matter what they do, they cannot suppress the will of the people which is Haqeeqi Azadi.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 21, 2022
Khan further accused the “neutrals,” a term he often uses to refer to the Pakistani military, of orchestrating and ordering violence against PTI workers. Citing unnamed “insiders,” Khan declared that the police were “ordered from above” to crack down on PTI party workers on May 25 and “give (them) a thrashing.”
He warned that citizens are “not ready to accept thieves” and that punishing Pakistan’s ‘largest party’ risks plunging the country into a Sri Lanka-like crisis. The former PM accused the incumbent government of failing to address rising inflation, which has impacted food and fuel prices.
On this topic, Khan noted that Pakistan’s “debt burden is increasing” and contrasted that with his government’s record-high tax collections, remittances, and exports. He also celebrated his success in bringing up concerns of the Muslim community at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations General Assembly. He thus lamented once again that he was ousted for his “independent foreign policy” with the help of the United States, denouncing Sharif’s “imported” government.
Regime change conspirators so scared of Imran Khan that today in middle of IK speech they blocked YouTube thru PTA. Shameful! This will not silence us. Fascism at its peak as fear overwhelms the cabal of crooks & their string pullers! THE WORD IS CERTAINLY MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) August 21, 2022
He also addressed the ongoing disqualification case against him in the Election Commission of Pakistan, wherein the Sharif government has accused Khan of failing to disclose gifts received during his tenure and of also selling them for a profit. Khan reiterated that “information from the inside” proves that the Commission is not “doing anything” on its own but on the “pressure from above.”
After Magistrate Javed filed an FIR against Khan, several PTI workers assembled outside Khan’s Bani Gala residence in protest. Furthermore, on Monday, Imran Khan’s legal team filed a pre-arrest bail plea.
⚠️ Confirmed: Metrics corroborate reports of a disruption to YouTube in Pakistan on multiple internet providers; the incident comes as former PM Imran Khan live streams on the platform despite a ban by media regulator PEMRA
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) August 21, 2022
📰 Report: https://t.co/mFBehYjlnY pic.twitter.com/CtD8vYX8f6
Authorities have deployed additional police forces outside the former PM’s residence and even restricted access to the road leading to his house to unauthorised individuals. This was confirmed by Khan, who said that his visitors “received calls from the intelligence agencies.” After Saturday’s address, reports claimed that Khan had moved to an undisclosed location in Rawalpindi.
Furthermore, Dawn also reported that YouTube services were disrupted during Khan’s speech on Sunday in Rawalpindi. The Pakistani Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has also barred television service providers from telecasting Khan’s live addresses, accusing him of putting forward “baseless allegations” and “spreading hate” against “state institutions and officers.” Under the order, Khan must now deliver pre-recorded addresses that will be monitored and subjected to editorial control.
عمران خان ہماری ریڈ لائن ہے۔ سازشیں رچنے والوں کو پوری قوم کے ردعمل کا سامنا کرنا پڑے گا۔ pic.twitter.com/BA96hTSqCS
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) August 21, 2022
The PTI condemned these developments, saying that “Coincidentally, YouTube was back to being fully operational as soon as our historic rally finished… Freedom of expression is completely finished in Pakistan.”
Earlier this month, ARY News, which has often supported Khan and been critical of the military and the Sharif government, was temporarily taken off air for “seditious” content.
Khan was ousted via a trust vote in April but has since held a number of rallies across the country that have drawn tens of thousands of supporters, many of whom echo his claims of a US-backed coup. Both the National Security Committee and the US, however, have refuted such claims.
Khan has also gained popularity as the country’s economy continues to falter under his successor, Shehbaz Sharif. Its current account deficit has risen to $17.4 billion, the inflation rate has risen to 24.9%, and foreign reserves have plummeted to $14.2 billion. Furthermore, food and transport prices have respectively risen by 17.3% and 31.8%.