Islamabad, Oct 9 (EFE).- Pakistan police have charged imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan with attempted murder over the death of a policeman during violent protests held by Khan’s party over the weekend, the authorities said Wednesday.
The police complaint filed at Noon Police Station in Islamabad also named other senior members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party including Ali Amin Gandapur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province’s Chief Minister Omar Ayub, Azam Swati and PTI’s Islamabad president Aamir Mughal.
Clashes erupted in the federal capital Islamabad on Friday and Saturday as police tried to stop a PTI rally from entering Islamabad.
The authorities accused protesters of stone-pelting while PTI blamed the police for firing bullets and tear gas shells, causing some injuries while a police constable succumbed to his injuries.
PTI supporters, mainly arriving from KP under Gandapur’s leadership, were responding to Khan’s call to gather in Islamabad and protest near the parliament building.
“Imran Khan and his other party members have been charged with attempted murder of the police constable Abdul Hameed,” Jamshed Ali, a police official at the Noon Police station, told EFE on Wednesday.
The official added the police complaint also has charges of arson, attack on the state and violence against police personnel as well as anti-terrorism act (ATA).
As per the case, the policeman was tortured by the protestors at the behest of PTI leaders, including Khan and Gandapur, Ali disclosed.
“The protesters attacked the policemen with sticks, stones and iron rods. The protesters tore the uniforms of the policemen,” read the content of the FIR, according to local media reports.
The police said that violence occurred despite warnings to PTI supporters that the government had imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits large gatherings.
The law and order situation in Islamabad remained volatile as the PTI tried to stage a protest in front of the parliament.
The protests were held for the independence of the judiciary and the release of Khan who has been incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail for more than a year now.
Several PTI leaders and Khan’s sisters — Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan — had also been detained during the protest demonstration.
The case against Khan’s sisters was registered on serious charges, including provisions related to terrorism.
Khan also has nearly 200 legal cases against him, with his wife Bushra Bibi also imprisoned over graft charges. EFE
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