At least six MPs from jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party appeared in an anti-terrorism court on Tuesday, two days after they led a major rally in the capital. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has faced a sweeping crackdown since Khan was jailed in August last year on a series of charges that he says are politically motivated and designed to keep him from power.
At least one senior PTI official appeared in court following a police complaint about an "attack on officials", "armed riots" and "illegal assembly" after Sunday's rally. "I was picked up from my office around 7:30 pm," said PTI leader and senior lawyer Mohammed Shoaib Shaheen, who appeared in court alongside the MPs. "These small obstacles won't hold us back. We are the soldiers of Imran Khan, and we stand with him," he said. He was remanded in custody while the other cases continued.
Several MPs and senior leaders were rounded up by police as they left the National Assembly building in the capital on Monday night, PTI's media team said. Other MPs loyal to the party remained inside parliament for hours, uncertain if they too would face arrest. Videos circulating online show Gohar Ali Khan, PTI chairman in Imran Khan's absence, being led through a crowd by police officers and into a waiting car. A police official who asked not to be identified said Gohar Ali Khan was later released.
The court appearances come after thousands of PTI supporters gathered in the capital Islamabad for a rally on Sunday that was broken up with tear gas. City authorities gave permission for the demonstration to go ahead but it continued beyond the stipulated time. Authorities had earlier warned of legal action "for violation of the permission". Sunday's rally was the first since the government passed a new law regulating public gatherings, which it said would allow for peaceful assembly subject to reasonable restrictions.
Political, religious and civil rights groups frequently stage sit-ins and protests in Pakistan that can see cities shut down for days. However, rights groups say the law is a curb on free speech. PTI won the most seats in February's general election but was kept from power by a coalition of rival parties that analysts say has the backing of Pakistan's powerful military.
Imran Khan rose to power in 2018 with the help of the military, analysts say, but was ousted in 2022 after reportedly falling out with the generals. A United Nations panel of experts found this month that his detention "had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office". Several convictions against him have been overturned by the courts. His party has lost the significant street power it once wielded since a crackdown on members that followed his arrest. Several members of the PTI's social media and press team were rounded up last month and accused of "anti-state propaganda".
