Imran Khan, the former Pakistani prime minister who is currently in detention, has issued a call to protest to his followers. Speaking to Reuters at a press conference in Lahore, he asked them to converge in Peshawar on December 13. Khan also cautioned that if his demands were not satisfied, a civil disobedience campaign would be launched the next day.
Khan states as a prerequisite for their demands, including a judicial inquiry into the November 25 demonstration march crackdown that he alleges is responsible for the deaths of 12 supporters. He also demands responsibility for violence on May 9th, last year, of which he claims eight fatalities took place. Moreover, Khan also demanded at once the release of all detained political workers.
Unless the demands are met, a civil disobedience operation will begin on December 14, he said, and the government will be held responsible for the repercussions. On the other hand, the government rejects any deaths associated with the November 25 demonstrations march. Officials have charged Khan’s supporters with going on a rampage against military installations during the May 9, 2022, mayhem.
Imran Khan issues call to protest after recent violence on protestors in Islamabad
This latest news comes on the heels of Khan being indicted on Thursday for allegedly planning the May 9th attack, a charge he denies. His legal battles have intensified since his removal from office in 2022. The 72-year-old retired cricketing legend has been prosecuted on a number of charges, of which he and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), allege are politically motivated.
Khan asserts that the charges aim to sideline him from politics at the behest of the military, with whom he fell out before his ouster. The military has countered those claims, stating the cases are being handled legally.
Imran Khan’s party still holds power in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where it intends to muster its supporters next week. With the tensions escalating, his appeal for a demonstration and, allegedly, civil defiance is a new dimension to the unfolding political turmoil in Pakistan.