Thousands of people in Pakistan followed the call of the governing parties and protested against the release of ex-Prime Minister Khan. In Islamabad they stormed the sealed-off government district.
In Pakistan, thousands of government supporters stormed the cordoned-off government district in the capital, Islamabad. This is reported by the dpa news agency, citing a police spokesman. Around 7,000 demonstrators followed the call by the governing parties to take to the streets against the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The government district, where the Supreme Court building is located, was cordoned off. However, the demonstrators overcame the barricades, and buses and cars were backed up on the access roads. The situation has now calmed down and is under control, the police spokesman said. 2,500 security forces are deployed.
Protest against Chief Justice
The Pakistan Democratic Movement, an alliance of 13 political parties affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, called for a sit-in outside the courthouse over the weekend. The Islamist party Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam was one of the leaders of the protest.
The Pakistan People’s Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, is also part of the alliance and participated in the call, even though the government had issued a ban on rallies and public gatherings in the wake of the crisis.
“Our peaceful protest is against the Chief Justice who made the release of Imran Khan possible,” said Pakistan Democratic Alliance leader Fazalur Rehman. Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif, in a televised statement, accused the Supreme Court of siding with Khan. The court must now investigate the behavior of the chief judge and take legal action against him.
Conflict between government and Khan’s supporters
The call for protests can be understood as an attempted show of strength by the government coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif towards Khan’s supporters. A conflict between the two camps has been smoldering for months. In view of the economic crisis, the South Asian country is divided.
Khan was arrested on Tuesday last week to a great deal of attention. He is accused of having accepted material assets worth millions in order to give a real estate magnate advantages in return. After the 70-year-old’s arrest, violent clashes ensued between his supporters and security forces in several cities.
Then, on Friday, May 11, the Supreme Court ordered Khan’s release on bail. Another arrest is not excluded. Then chaos could break out again. Some politicians, backed by the military, are calling for a tougher judicial crackdown on Khan.
The judiciary is taking action against Khan in around 100 cases
Former cricket star Khan came to power in the 2018 general election amid allegations that the powerful military rigged the vote in his favour. Despite his great popularity, the former prime minister disappointed many supporters during his tenure. His government was repeatedly accused of mismanagement while the country slipped into an economic crisis. He was finally overthrown by a vote of no confidence in April 2022.
He has to answer in court in around 100 cases. The allegations are about corruption, money laundering and insulting a judge.
Observers see the actions against Khan as politically motivated. Khan hopes for a political comeback. He is likely to speculate on re-election in the parliamentary elections planned for autumn. If convicted, however, he could be banned from office.