The Shehbaz Sharif government in Pakistan has charged the country’s former prime minister Imran Khan under Pakistan’s anti-terror laws. He has been accused of terrorising police officials, a woman magistrate and the Election Commission at a rally in Islamabad.
Although on Monday, August 22, afternoon a court gave him three days pre-arrest bail until Thursday, August 25, it is possible the government could move to arrest him after that.
At the same time, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has ordered the country’s TV channels not to carry Imran Khan’s speeches live, on the grounds that they attack state institutions by leveling baseless allegations and have hate speech elements.
The key question is whether the government acted wisely or is it playing with fire. Imran Khan has proved his popularity after being removed from office in April when his party swept the Punjab byelections in July and turfed out the PML(N) government and replaced it with a government run jointly by his party, PTI, and its allies. Now could this action further boost Imran Khan’s popularity at the cost of the Shehbaz Sharif government?
Hundreds if not thousands gathered on Monday afternoon outside Imran Khan’s house at Bani Gala near Islamabad. One of his former ministers, Ali Amin Gandapur, has threatened to take over Islamabad if Imran Khan is arrested. Meanwhile, the BBC reports that the Shehbaz Sharif government is divided over the action it has taken.
These are the issues that are raised in a 26-minute interview with the well-known and highly-regarded editor of Pakistan’s widely-read Friday Times, Najam Sethi. Sethi is also a former chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab Province.
