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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has been charged under the country’s anti-terrorism law, in the latest chapter of a tense power struggle with Pakistan’s current government since his ouster.
Sunday’s move came a day after Khan addressed a rally and criticized senior police officials and a judge over the arrest of his chief of staff. Police said in a charging report that Khan had threatened officials.
“The manner in which Imran Khan delivered his speech and the threats he made caused fear and terror among the police, judiciary and common people and harmed the peace of the country,” they wrote in the report.
Since Khan was ousted from power in April, he has staged rowdy demonstrations to punish the government. The former cricket star has maintained his strong political base and gained momentum in the local elections. By contrast, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan, has made little progress in addressing the dire economic crisis that sent consumer prices soaring.
Khan “will have to face the law for threatening and hurling abuses at the magistrate and police officers. These acts of brazen thugs are responsible for inciting extremism in society,” the minister tweeted Interior, Rana Sanaullah, early Monday.
Hours after news of the indictment broke, hundreds of Khan’s supporters gathered outside his residence in Islamabad, the capital, in an effort to prevent his arrest.
“Imran Khan’s arrest is a ‘red line’ for us. If this line is crossed, it would lead to something very bad, not good for the people and the country,” said Murad Saeed, a senior official of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which is led by Khan.
“We want to stay within the bounds of the constitution, but people are upset, very angry,” he said, warning that popular unrest could “destroy” the sitting government.
With political tensions rising, Pakistan launches a media crackdown
Saeed and other party leaders have called for thousands more to come to Islamabad and “protect their leader”.
Khan’s chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, was arrested earlier this month after making comments on a talk show that the government deemed “anti-military”. Khan alleges Gill was tortured during his imprisonment, a claim the government denies.
Khan and his party were already facing a partial media ban. Authorities have banned live broadcasts of his speeches, and the news channel on which Gill made his remarks was banned. Two news anchors linked to the same channel fled the country after being harassed by the government.
Khan was removed from office in April by a no-confidence vote in Parliament that took place after repeated delays.
He came to power in 2018, promising to build a “new Pakistan” — an Islamic welfare state based on opportunity, justice and independence for the impoverished Muslim-majority nation of 220 million people.
But he struggled to manage the economy amid rampant inflation and rising foreign debt. He also clashed with the country’s military leadership and lost political allies, who gradually gathered enough support to challenge him and accused him of nearly bankrupting Pakistan.
Khan is the first leader to be ousted in a legally held vote since Pakistan was founded in 1947. Previous prime ministers have been ousted by a military coup or other form of extralegal interference.
Khan claimed that his expulsion was supported by the United States. He provided no evidence for this claim and the State Department has denied involvement.