Pakistan Charges Several Lawmakers from Imran Khan's Party

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SEP 11 2024

Image copyright: Samir Hussein/Contributor/WireImage via Getty Images Newsstory last updated SEP 12 2024

The Facts

Several leaders and lawmakers from former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party were charged with terrorism offenses on Wednesday after being arrested in raids across the Pakistani capital of Islamabad late on Monday.
On Tuesday, a police spokesperson stated that four people were arrested. However, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claimed the number was actually as high as 13. They mentioned that officials were taken into custody from different locations across the capital, including some who were arrested outside parliament.
The arrests came a day after thousands of protesters, in support of Khan, who has been imprisoned on dozens of charges that critics and his party say are politically motivated, held a rally in the outskirts of Islamabad to demand his release. The rally was mostly peaceful, but there were reports of some clashes with the police.

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

While it was right that the leaders of Khan's PTI party were taken into custody for inciting violence, they should not have been arrested on the parliament's grounds. Two wrongs don't make a right. Therefore, an investigation is ongoing to prevent this situation from happening again.

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Establishment-critical narrative

This is a dark turn for Pakistan's already repressive government. Yes, PTI leaders may have gone overboard in their statements. But none of these tensions would have flared up if the government hadn't persecuted Khan on spurious charges before seeking to criminalize his party.

DAWN.COM