Pakistani police have filed multiple charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and others for allegedly inciting violence, following a wave of protests and clashes that resulted in at least six deaths and numerous injuries, officials reported on Thursday.
Bushra Bibi, leading thousands of supporters from the northwestern region of Pakistan, marched to Islamabad to demand the release of her husband, who has been incarcerated since August 2023. Khan, who faces over 150 charges, is said to be the target of politically motivated cases, according to his supporters.
Bibi, a spiritual leader, fled when police launched a raid on Tuesday night to disperse the demonstrators. At the time, she was out on bail in a corruption case. The authorities have arrested nearly 1,000 protesters since Sunday in Islamabad and surrounding areas.
Six people, including four security personnel, were killed when a vehicle struck them, with Islamabad police blaming Khan's supporters for the incident. Authorities have filed charges against Khan, Bibi, and others in both Islamabad and Rawalpindi under anti-terrorism laws, accusing them of inciting attacks on security forces and disturbing the peace.
While Khan faces a lengthy list of charges, his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), remains committed to pushing for his release. On Thursday, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told international media that Khan’s supporters were attempting to seize control of the capital and that some were armed. They said weapons were seized during the midnight raid.
Read: Pakistan ends lockdown after dispersing Imran Khan supporters
Iqbal emphasized that security forces had used tear gas and batons to control the crowds and dismissed PTI’s claims that Khan’s supporters had been killed by live police fire, asserting that the protesters had used guns. This protest came on the heels of a deadly attack in Kurram district earlier in the month, where 42 Shiites were killed in gunfire, sparking retaliatory violence that also claimed many lives.
In new developments on Thursday, local police reported that eight people were killed in further sectarian violence in Kurram, according to police official Salim Shah.
Separately, Islamabad police filed terrorism charges against journalist Matiullah Jan, who was allegedly abducted by unknown men after his family reported him missing. Police claim Jan was arrested after refusing to stop at a checkpoint and for allegedly snatching a weapon from an officer while intoxicated, a charge Jan denied.
Read more: Imran Khan supporters breach lockdown in Pakistani capital, at least 6 people killed in violence
These events add to the ongoing political turmoil that has followed Khan’s removal from office in 2022. On Tuesday, political tensions caused Pakistan’s stock market to lose over $1.7 billion, but by Thursday, it had recovered, surpassing 100,000 points for the first time, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif citing the rebound as evidence of an improving economy.
Sources: With inputs from agencies