Nearly four months have passed since Imran Khan was ousted from power in Pakistan, and Pakistan Muslim League (PML) leader Shehbaz Sharif succeeded him as prime minister. Khan now faces terror charges and was booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act on Sunday. However, he received a reprieve on Monday after the Islamabad High Court granted him protective bail till Thursday.
Khan is accused of threatening the police, the judiciary and other state institutions during a rally held in Islamabad on Saturday. The protection from bail was issued after lawyers Babar Awan and Faisal Chaudhry filed a petition in court saying the former prime minister was a "target of the ruling PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) for his fearless criticism, and extremely bold and blunt stance against corruption and corrupt politicians," Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported.
What did Imran Khan say at the Islamabad rally?
On Saturday, Khan led a protest rally against the arrest of his close aide Shahbaz Gill in Islamabad. While addressing the crowd, he alleged that Gill was tortured in police custody. He reportedly threatened senior police officials and a sessions court judge who were part of the legal action against Khan's aide. Gill, arrested on August 9, faces sedition charges and has been accused of planning a "mutiny" in Pakistan's military.
Khan is likely to face contempt charges for his remarks on the sessions court judge.
Khan rubbished the allegations against Gill and called it a "conspiracy" of the government to pit his party against the military. He reiterated his stand on his ouster being unfair, and pushed for formal elections and sought to come back to power. Khan was removed as prime minister in April after a no-confidence vote.
Even before his ouster, Khan had held several rallies across the country in a bid to muster popular support. The rallies were held even after Shahbaz Sharif came to power.
However, after Saturday's rally, it seems the government began to censor Khan's speech. His rallies won't be broadcast live on television after the direction from Pakistan's electronic media regulator. The former prime minister took to Twitter and called the current regime "fascist" and accused them of muzzling free speech. "The fascist government sunk to a new low today by banning live coverage of my speeches on TV & then blocking YouTube temporarily during my speech at Liaquat Bagh. All this after continuous intimidation of media persons and taking channels off the air earlier," reads a rough translation of Khan's tweet.
The regulatory body, PEMRA said, Khan's speech "violated Article 19 of the constitution". While only recorded speech will be allowed on television, the PEMRA said the broadcast would be allowed with an "effective delay mechanism to ensure editorial control".
PTI fans rally behind Imran Khan
The cricketer-turned-politician is a popular figure in Pakistan and his followers have been showing support even after his ouster from power. On Monday, hundreds of his supporters gathered outside his house, chanting slogans, in a show of solidarity after the news of terror charges against him broke.
Khan hasn't spoken after the terror charges were pressed against him, though his political allies have said Khan's arrest would be "crossing the red line".
News agency AP quoted Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, a former minister under Khan, saying that his supporters would "take over Islamabad". "my message to police is don't be part of this political war anymore," he said.
He has been charged under Section 7 of the Anti-Terror Act. Like in India, the police usually file a first information report or an FIR, after which they arrest and question the accused. The court order has provided protection to Khan till Thursday. According to Al Jazeera, the highest degree of punishment under this law is a death sentence or a life sentence.
International organisations react
The United Nations (UN) chief has called for an "impartial legal process" involving terror charges against Pakistan's former prime minister.
"The secretary-general urges calm, lowering of tensions and respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms," Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
The US has distanced itself from the political storm saying the matter is for Pakistan's legal and judicial system. "It is not directly a matter for the US, and that's because we don't have a position on one political candidate or party versus any other political candidate or party," US State Department Spokesman Ned Price told the press.
Khan had earlier accused the US of hatching a conspiracy to throw him out of power even though no concrete evidence for the claim has been produced.
Meanwhile, International Human Rights Foundation said the anti-terror law was being misused to arrest Khan and was a human rights violation. "We see how several countries pass unjust laws, drafted to treat as terrorists innocent people who maintain legitimate disagreements to the government's interests. This is a clear violation of #HumanRights. Arbitrarily arrested citizens must be released," it said in a tweet.