ISLAMABAD (AP) – Convoys of buses and vehicles filled with supporters of the Pakistani government are flooding the main road into the country’s capital Monday to protest the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Thousands of people are heading to the Supreme Court for a rare rally against its decision last week in support of Khan, following his arrest in a graft case. The 70-year-old former prime minister was released on bail and granted protection from arrest until the end of this month.
The call for protest is a sign of escalating tensions between the judiciary and the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan after he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement, an alliance of 13 political parties affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, had called for the sit-in. The radical Islamist political party Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam is leading the protest call.
Also as part of the alliance, the Pakistan People’s Party led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari—son of assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto—is also joining the protest.
The sit-in is expected to take place despite a ban on rallies and public gatherings that the government imposed in the wake of the crisis.
“Our peaceful protest is against the Chief Justice (Umar Ata Bandial) for facilitating the release of Imran Khan,” said Fazalur Rehman, head of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance. As he spoke, more than 3,000 supporters had already gathered near the sprawling courthouse.
In a televised statement on Monday, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif accused the Supreme Court of siding with Khan. He suggested that the court “look into the conduct of the chief justice” and take legal action against him.
From his home in the eastern city of Lahore, where he returned after his release, Khan claimed in a tweet on Monday that the sit-in is being orchestrated to oust the chief justice.
Khan was dramatically arrested from a courtroom in Islamabad and dragged away by National Accountability Office agents last Tuesday accused of accepting property worth millions of dollars in exchange for providing benefits to a real estate tycoon.
Khan’s arrest sparked a wave of violent protests across Pakistan. Supporters of Khan and his Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf party clashed with police, torched dozens of police vehicles and torched government buildings and even military installations, including the residence of a top commander of the regional army in the eastern city of Lahore.
A year after his ouster, Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician, remains hugely popular in Pakistan. Khan blames Sharif, the country’s military and Washington for his removal from power, saying he was part of a conspiracy to discredit him. All three have denied the accusation.
Later on Monday, Khan is due to appear in a Lahore court, along with his wife Bushra Bibi, to seek bail and protection from arrest in terrorism cases filed against him over last week’s violence instigated by his supporters
Bibi also faces possible arrest in the case involving Malik Riaz, the business tycoon, as both she and Khan are involved in the acquisition of the tycoon’s real estate during Khan’s tenure. Khan has denied the allegations.
Cash-strapped Pakistan faces political turmoil amid stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund on reviving a bailout in 2019 to avoid a sovereign default.
