Police security of Imran withdrawn, Govt planning treason case against him

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has ‘withdrawn’ security provided to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan as former prime minister despite security alerts being issued previously. PTI leader Shahbaz Gill while taking to Twitter said that the police security given to the former prime minister Imran Khan has been withdrawn. “All personnel of Islamabad police have been withdrawn on Thursday evening,” he said.

He lamented that a convict Maryam Nawaz was given prime minister-level security while on the other hand, security has been withdrawn from Imran khan. “These are cheap tactics of the imported government,” Shahbaz Gill said.

Previously, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central leader Asad Umar said that they received a threat alert regarding Imran Khan’s security. While talking to a private Tv channel, Asad Umar said that PTI chairman’s life is in danger and they will lodge a case against the present government if something happens to the PTI chief.

He said that a senior officer had telephoned him that Imran Khan’s life is in danger and a threat alert regarding the security of the PTI chairman was also received.

The former minister said that the government had offered a vehicle to him but asked him to make additional security arrangements by himself. He added that he asked Imran Khan to use bullet-proof glasses but he rejected it.

The meeting was headed by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and attended by federal ministers Qamar Zaman Kaira, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Ayaz Sadiq, and Asad Mahmood.

According to sources privy to the development, the meeting would mull over a report regarding Imran Khan’s long march.

“It is likely that action will be initiated against Imran Khan under section 124 A of the penal laws that deal with sedition charges,” they said adding that the section deals with anyone blamed for attempting to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government.

Any trial under the article could lead to life imprisonment.

Key federal government officials deliberated over going ahead with filing treason charges against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and the chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan over PTI’s May 25 ‘Azadi March’ during a special committee meeting of the cabinet, Geo News reported Friday.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior, the cabinet’s special committee meeting was chaired by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah. Minister for Communications Maulana Asad Mahmood, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Minister for Law Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, including Interior Secretary Yousuf Naseem Khokhar and Islamabad Police IG Nasir Akbar were in attendance.

During the meeting, the interior minister, interior secretary and IG Islamabad briefed the participants on PTI’s ‘Azadi March’ held on May 25.

The participants deliberated over filing a case under the charges of sedition against former prime minister Imran Khan and the chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, Khalid Khursheed, the statement read.

“However, the committee postponed the meeting to deliberate over the matter further till June 6 to present its final recommendations before the federal cabinet,” the statement read.

During the meeting, Sanaullah urged the committee to recommend the federal cabinet file a treason case against Imran Khan. “PTI’s long march was a fitna and fasad March, instead of ‘Azadi March’ as it was an armed uprising on the capital. Therefore, I urged the committee to recommend filing a treason case under section 124(A) of the CrPC [Code of Criminal Procedure] against Imran Khan and chief ministers of KP and GB,” he said.

While briefing the committee, the interior minister said a plan was made to siege and invade the capital with an armed force on May 25.

“With planning, around 2,500 miscreants were already sent to Islamabad and they tried to capture D-Chowk before the arrival of Imran Khan,” he said.

Sanaullah further said Imran Khan had violated the Supreme Court’s order and asked workers to reach D-chowk. The interior minister told the committee that a group of armed people not only attacked police, Rangers and FC personnel, but also set trees and a metro station on fire.