Cape Town – Political tension heated up on Monday when Pakistan police charged former Prime Minister Imran Khan following a public rally.
According to Al Jazeera News, Khan was charged under anti-terror law after Khan had criticised police and a judicial officer during a rally in the capital city Islamabad, with his speeches said to be “spreading hate speech” and causing political tensions in the country.
The former PM has been holding a number of mass rallies around the country in his bid to return to office since he was ousted earlier this year after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership.
“On May 25 when police perpetrated violence against us, I was told by insiders that police acted under orders by above, which means they were under pressure by the neutrals to thrash PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) workers,” Khan said during his speech at the weekend.
“Are the neutrals really neutral?” he asked.
The Washington Post reported that the police said in a charge report that Khan’s speech “led to fear and terror among the police” which harmed the peace in the country.
“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,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah tweeted early Monday.
Meanwhile, Islamabad High Court granted the former cricket star Khan “transit bail” in its ruling on Monday, which ultimately delays his arrest as long as he appears at the counterterrorism court before Thursday.
IOL