Govt mulls filing sedition case against Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Federal government is considering charging Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan under sedition charges.

A meeting of the Special Committee of the Cabinet was held under the chairmanship of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan on Thursday at the Interior Ministry.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Communications Maulana Asad Mahmood, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Minister for Law Justice.Azam Nazir Tarar and other concerned officials including Interior Secretary and IG Islamabad Police.

The Interior briefed the committee about the PTI’s long march on May 25 and its formal plan to attack the federation.

The Cabinet Committee deliberated to file a sedition case under Section 124A of the CrPC against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Chief Ministers Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The committee also reviewed the evidences regarding the PTI Long March participants, especially Imran Khan and the Chief Ministers.

The Interior Secretary and IG Islamabad briefed the committee members regarding law, order and the long march.

The committee adjourned the meeting till Monday, June 6, for further consultations to make final recommendations to the federal cabinet.

The interior minister urged the committee to recommend to the Federal Cabinet to register a sedition case against Imran Khan in light of the evidences.

The minister termed PTI’s long march ‘Fitna’ and said it was a riot march rather than a ‘Haqaqi Azadi March’

“It was an armed attack at the federation besides a mutiny. Formal planning was made to hold the Capital hostage on May 25,” he added.

He said Imran Khan provoked the PTI’s workers through his hate speeches against the federation. Participants in the PTI Long March were armed, he added.

Rana Sanaullah said under a plan, about 2500 miscreants have already been brought to Islamabad before May 25. These miscreants tried to capture D-Chowk before arrival of Imran Khan, he said. He said the armed group not only attacked police, Rangers and FC personnel but also set on fire trees and the Metro Station.

He added Imran Khan also violated the May 25 decision of the Supreme Court and directed his workers to reach D-Chowk. The minister said police had to use tear gas to keep miscreants away.

Earlier on Thursday, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) granted transit bail to former prime minister Imran Khan till June 25 in different cases registered against him in connection with May 25 ‘Azadi March’.

The PTI chief filed a plea through his counsel Advocate Babar Awan. Imran Khan appeared before the court while the petition was heard by PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan.

The judge approved bail till June 25 and subsequently forwarded the orders to the additional sessions judge of Islamabad.