PTI supporters protest in Karachi against the potential arrest of Imran Khan. Twitter
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters early on Monday protested in various cities of Pakistan, particularly Islamabad, over reports that party Chairman Imran Khan was facing arrest after being booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act over remarks at a rally in the federal capital on Saturday night.
Declaring that Khan was their “red line,” a few thousand PTI supporters gathered outside Khan’s Bani Gala residence to express solidarity with their leader and discourage police from placing him under arrest. Similar protests were witnessed in Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad. There has been no confirmation from the government that arrest orders have actually been issued—with police claiming they only visited Bani Gala to avoid a potential law and order situation—but the threat was deemed sufficient for the PTI to mount its protest, with many leaders warning they would declare “war” if Khan were detained.
Controversial speech
On Saturday, addressing a rally in support of his detained chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, Khan had threatened police officers with legal action and warned a woman additional sessions judge that the PTI would “come after you” too. Specifically naming Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, who had approved a two-day physical remand of Gill at the Islamabad police’s urging, he said she should prepare for action against her.
The FIR filed against Khan alleges this was meant to incite terror among the police and judiciary to prevent them from performing their functions and avoiding taking any steps against PTI and its leadership. It also called for “exemplary punishment” against Khan to discourage such commentary in future.
One of the reasons for the PTI’s fear over Khan’s arrest was a press conference by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah earlier on Sunday in which he said the government was deliberating on whether it should proceed against the PTI chief over his speech. Accusing Khan of allegedly threatening institutions and preventing officers from performing their lawful duties, he claimed this was part of pattern of the PTI to target the military and judiciary in a bid to avoid legal consequences.
However, he had stressed, it would take a few days for the law ministry to determine if there were sufficient grounds to proceed against Khan.
Reacting to the minister’s statement, PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain had claimed there was no threat from Khan.
Meanwhile, following the controversial speech, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority barred the country’s TV channels from broadcasting the PTI chief’s speeches live, requiring that they be broadcast with a time delay. The PTI has vowed to challenge this in court.