Photo: Reuters file
Pakistan's imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged his followers to stage a demonstration next week and warned of launching a civil disobedience campaign just days after his party orchestrated a violent protest in Islamabad. In a message posted on X on Thursday, Khan directed supporters to gather on December 13 in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is governed by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. He called for a judicial investigation into the crackdown on the November 25 protest, claiming it resulted in the deaths of at least 12 of his supporters, as well as the violence that occurred on May 9 last year, which he said killed eight. Khan also demanded the release of all detained political workers.
"If these demands are not addressed, a civil disobedience movement will commence from December 14, and the government will bear responsibility for any ensuing consequences," Khan stated. The government refutes any fatalities during the November 25 protest and asserts that Khan's supporters were the aggressors in the May 9 incident, targeting military facilities. Khan was indicted on Thursday for allegedly orchestrating the May 9 attacks, to which he pleaded not guilty. This indictment is one of many legal actions against the 72-year-old former cricket star, who has been incarcerated since late last year. He and his party allege that these cases are fabricated to sideline him politically, a claim the military denies.
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