Pakistani police issue charges against Imran Khan and his wife for inciting violence

ISLAMABAD – Pakistani police launched several charges against those imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khanhis wife and others for inciting people to violence, officials said Thursday, after days of protests and clashes in which at least six people were killed and dozens injured.

Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi led thousands of people from the northwest of the country to march on the capital Islamabad ask for release of Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023. Khan already has more than 150 cases against him, but supporters say they are politically motivated.

Bibi, a spiritual healer, fled when police launched a midnight raid on Tuesday to disperse thousands of demonstrators. She was out of jail on bail in a graft case when she led the protest in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Authorities said police had arrested nearly 1,000 protesters since Sunday in and around Islamabad.

At least six people, including four security personnel, were killed when a vehicle plowed into them, according to Islamabad police, who blamed Khan supporters for the deaths.

Police issued charges against Khan, Bibi and others in Islamabad and the city of Rawalpindi under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws. Authorities accuse them of inciting people to attack security forces and disturbing the peace.

Khan faces more than 150 cases against him, but his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, says it will continue to press for his release.

On Thursday, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told international media that Khan supporters “wanted to take over the capital” and that some of them were carrying weapons. These were seized when the midnight raid was underway, they said. .

Iqbal said security forces used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowds. He rejected PTI’s claim that some Khan supporters died due to police firing live bullets. He added that it was not a peaceful rally as the protesters used weapons.

It is the latest unrest to rock the country since Khan’s ouster in 2022.

Pakistan’s stock market lost more than $1.7 billion on Tuesday due to political tension, but recovered on Thursday, crossing 100,000 points for the first time. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the rebound was a sign of an improving economy.