Pakistan ex-premier Imran Khan booked under anti-terror law

Gulf Today Report

The police in Pakistan registered an FIR against ex-prime minister Imran Khan under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for allegedly threatening an additional sessions judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police.

Magistrate Ali Javed registered the FIR at Islamabad's Margalla police station under Section 7 of ATA.

The FIR states that Imran threatened judge Zeba Chaudhry and police officers at a rally to “terrorise” police officials and judiciary.

The main aim of the intimidation was to prevent the police officers and judiciary from carrying out their legal obligations.
On Saturday, Imran warned that he would "not leave” Islamabad's inspector-general, deputy inspector general, and female magistrate, saying he would file cases against them for torturing his aide Shahbaz Gill.

"We will not spare the IGP and DIG,” he said while addressing a public gathering at the F-9 park in Islamabad.

The former prime minister called out Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, who last week had approved Gill’s two-day physical remand at the request of the capital police, and said she too should prepare herself as the case will also be registered against her.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Electronic Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has banned live telecast of Imran Khan’s public speeches with immediate effect after he delivered another hard-hitting address to a protest rally on Saturday night.

The restriction came after he threatened state institutions and government officials with serious consequences. Imran Khan's addresses are in open violation of the Pemra rules, according to the Pakistan’s media watchdog notification issued in Sunday's wee hours. It said that Imran's speeches are a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution.

Only pre-recorded speeches can be broadcast now with effective monitoring and editorial control, the Pemra notification said.

The regulator issued a six-page notification, stating it has been observed that Imran is persistently levelling baseless accusations in his speeches and statements against national institutions and spreading hatred in his speeches.

A PTI senior official, Asad Umar, lambasted the media regulatory body's move to ban Imran's speeches. "Banning Imran Khan's speeches telecast is another attempt to find an administrative solution to a political problem," Umar said. He added that his party will challenge the ban in court.