An anti-terrori𒀰sm court in Pakistan on Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and 93 others in a case related to last week’s protests in Islamabad by his party supporters.
Khan, who has been incarcerated since 2023, had on November 13 issued a “final call” for nationwide protests to be held on Nov 24, demanding the restoration of t🅰he PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party members, and the reversal of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
The main protest in Islamabad ended in clashes in which 12 PTI supporters were killed, accord🎶ing to the party, while hundr♓eds were arrested.
The Islamabad Police submitted a list of 96 suspects in the Islamabad-based Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), including prominent leaders of PTI, such as Khan, Bibi, Gandapur, former pr🃏esident Arif Alvi, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, PTI Chairman Gohar Khan, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and severa💝l others.
It asked the court to issue their arrest warrants and ATC Judge Tahir Abb🥃as Sipra accepted the request and issued non-bailable arrest w✤arrants for 96 suspects.
♐The first information report (FIR) registered after the protest included various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Peaceful Assembly and P🅷ublic Order Act.
It accused the PTI leaders of attacking police personnel under a “conspiracy” and using government employees for their purposes d♕uring the protest. It also said that the actions of protesters led to ꦍlocals being trapped in their homes and spread fear and panic.
Khan🧔 was already sent to jail on judicial remand in seven cases related to protests between September 28 and October 5.
Dozens of cases have been registered against him since his government fe🔴ll in April 2022 due to a no-confidence vote.
