The case was registered at the Margalla Police Station of Islamabad under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (punishment for acts of terrorism).
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: PTI chief Imran Khan has been booked on Sunday under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening police, judiciary, and other state institutions at an Islamabad rally held to protest the arrest of his close aide, the government said on Sunday.
An FIR has been filed against the former prime minister after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the government was mulling filing a case against Khan over his provocative speech.
The case was registered at the Margalla Police Station of Islamabad under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (punishment for acts of terrorism).
The FIR reads that Khan in his speech had “terrorised and threatened top police officials and a respected female additional session judge with the aim to stop them from performing their functions and abstain from pursuing any action against any individual related to his PTI party”.
It said that Khan’s speech had spread fear and uncertainty among the police, judges, and the nation.
Minister Sanaullah said Khan’s speech was a continuation of a trend to target the army and other institutions.
“This is all happening in continuation … from a campaign after the Lasbela incident when six army officers were killed followed by Shehbaz Gill’s attempt to incite army ranks to go against their top command and then Imran threatening a woman judge and police officials for performing their duties as per the law,” the minister said.
Gill was arrested by the police on August 9 after he made controversial remarks against the Pakistan army on television that were deemed “highly hateful and seditious” by the authorities.
Earlier media watchdog banned the broadcasting of live speeches of PTI chief for threatening government officials. PEMRA, however, said Khan’s recorded speech would only be permitted to be aired after an effective delay mechanism to ensure monitoring and editorial control.
In its reaction to the ban, PTI said the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has a fascist regime.
“Imported fascists are trying to ban Imran Khan’s speeches on TV. They have lost the battle completely and now using fascism; they will fail! #HelpPakistan by raising our voices against fascists!,” the party tweeted.
A defiant Khan also addressed a rally at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on Sunday night.
“Pemra is also in the game now. What has Imran Khan done? His only crime is that he is not accepting this imported government,” Khan responded to Pemra ban. “The only way to bring the country out of the current situation is to hold fair and free elections.”
Meanwhile, PTI won a by-election in Karachi with a considerable margin on Sunday. The party candidate Mehmood Maulvi secured a resounding victory in Karachi’s NA-245 by-election by a margin of nearly 17,000 votes for the National Assembly seat that had fallen vacant after the death of a party leader in June.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
