The charges followed a speech Khan gave in Islamabad on Saturday, in which he vowed to sue police officers and a female judge and claimed a close aide had been tortured after his arrest. Khan himself has not spoken publicly about the latest allegations against him. But a court in Islamabad issued a so-called “protective bail” for Khan for the next three days, preventing police from arresting him on the charges, said Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a senior leader of the opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Hundreds of Tehreek-e-Insaf members stood outside Khan’s house on Monday in a show of support as the former prime minister held meetings inside. The party has warned it will hold national rallies if Khan is arrested while working to try to quash the charges in court. Under Pakistan’s legal system, police submit what is known as a first information report about charges against an accused person to a judge, who allows the investigation to proceed. Usually, the police arrest and question the accused. The petition against Khan includes testimony from Judge Ali Javed, who described being at the rally in Islamabad on Saturday and hearing Khan criticize Pakistan’s inspector general of police and another judge. Khan went on to say, “Get ready for this too, we will also take action against you. You should all be ashamed.” Khan could face years in prison on the new charges, which accuse him of threatening police officers and the judge under the country’s sedition act, which stems from British colonial-era law. However, he has not been taken into custody on other lesser charges brought against him in his recent campaign against the government. Pakistan’s judiciary also has a history of politicization and taking sides in power struggles between the military, the civilian government and opposition politicians, according to the Washington-based advocacy group Freedom House. Current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is likely to discuss the charges against Khan in a cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Khan came to power in 2018, promising to break the pattern of family rule in Pakistan. His opponents argue that he was elected with the help of the powerful military, which has ruled the country for half of its 75-year history. Seeking Khan’s ouster earlier this year, the opposition had accused him of economic mismanagement as inflation soared and the Pakistani rupee plummeted. A parliamentary no-confidence vote in April that ousted Khan capped months of political unrest and a constitutional crisis that required the Supreme Court to intervene. Khan claimed, without providing evidence, that the Pakistani military was involved in a US plot to oust him. Washington, Pakistan’s military and Sharif’s government have all denied the claim. Meanwhile, Khan has held a series of mass rallies in an attempt to pressure the government. In his final speech on Sunday night at a rally in the city of Rawalpindi outside Islamabad, Khan said so-called “neutrals” were behind the recent crackdown on his party. In the past he has used the phrase “neutrals” for the military. “There has been a plan to put our party on the wall. I assure you that the situation in Sri Lanka will happen here,” Khan threatened, referring to recent economic protests that toppled the island nation’s government. “Now we follow the law and the constitution. But when a political party strays from this path, the situation inside Pakistan, who will stop the public? There are 220 million people.” Khan’s party has held mass protests, but Pakistan’s government and security forces fear the former cricket star’s popularity could draw millions onto the streets. That could put further pressure on the nuclear-armed nation as it struggles to secure a $7 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund amid a financial crisis exacerbated by rising global food prices caused in part by Russia’s war in Ukraine. On Sunday, internet access advocacy group NetBlocks said internet services in the country blocked access to YouTube after Khan broadcast the speech on the platform despite a ban issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority. Police arrested Khan’s political aide Shahbaz Gill earlier this month after he appeared on private television channel ARY TV and urged soldiers and officers to refuse to obey “illegal orders” from the military leadership. Gill was charged with treason, which under Pakistani law carries the death penalty. ARY also remains off air in Pakistan after this telecast. Khan has alleged that the police abused Gill while in custody. Police say Gill suffers from asthma and has not been abused while in custody. Gill was released from the hospital to attend a hearing Monday on whether he should return to prison. Gill appeared healthy on television as he left for court amid tight security Khan’s speech on Saturday in Islamabad focused mainly on Gill’s arrest. Meanwhile, police separately arrested journalist Jameel Farooqi in Karachi over his allegations that Gill had been tortured by the police. Farooqui is a staunch supporter of Khan.
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
