Pakistan’s Imran Khan Pushes Court Battle, Protected From Arrest in Multiple Terrorist Cases | Wagon Radio 720

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan pushed a legal battle in a court in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday, allowing him to remain free from arrest until early next month on multiple charges, including terrorism charges inciting violence.

The incident comes as authorities crack down on supporters of Mr Khan, now Pakistan’s biggest opposition leader. Thousands of people staged violent protests and attacked public and military installations after Khan’s arrest earlier this month.

The violence subsided a few days after Khan was released following a Supreme Court order. Ten people died in clashes with police.

Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April last year, has campaigned against the government of his successor, Prime Minister Shahabaz Sharif, arguing that his ouster was illegal and calling for early elections. rice field.

But Khan claims he was deported because of a US conspiracy, a charge denied by the US government and Sharif’s government. Since his departure, he has stepped up his campaign to overthrow Sharif’s government through “popular pressure.”

Since then, the 70-year-old former cricketer turned Islamist politician has been embroiled in more than 100 lawsuits. He has been charged with corruption allegedly committed during his tenure and charged with eight counts of terrorism over violent protests by his supporters and Pakistani opposition party Tehrik-e-Insaf. there is

After a court in Islamabad granted Khan protection from his arrest on terrorism charges until June 8 on Tuesday, he and his wife traveled to the nearby city of Rawalpindi, where he was accused of another corruption case. appeared before the Office of National Responsibility to answer the question.

After four hours of interrogation, the couple returned to their home in Lahore. Details about Mr Khan’s attendance at the agency were not immediately available.

The couple are accused of accepting a gift of property to build a private university in exchange for a profit from a real estate mogul. Khan denied the charges and said he and his wife Bushra Bibi were not involved in any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, in a blow to his close aide Khan, who served as rights minister in the 2018-2022 government, he announced on Tuesday that he and Pakistan’s Tehrik-e-Insaf party would be leaving politics entirely.

Shireen Mazari has been a vocal critic of the Pakistani military and the Sharif government. She was arrested last Thursday on charges of inciting people to violence and was released Monday, but later in the evening she was rearrested. She was released again some time later, she said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

“I have decided to step away from active political activity. From today, I will not be affiliated with the PTI (Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf) or any political party,” Mazari said, adding that he would be stepping down for health reasons. . She didn’t elaborate.

Mazari has also condemned recent acts of violence by Khan’s supporters and is one of several Khan party leaders who have resigned over deadly protests.

Also on Tuesday, another key Khan party leader, Fayazul Hassan Chohan, said at a news conference in Islamabad that he was leaving the party because of Khan’s “politics of confrontation with the state and the military.”

In Pakistan, the military has ruled for half of its 75-year history.

https://wgnradio.com/news/international/ap-pakistans-imran-khan-presses-legal-fight-gets-protection-from-arrest-in-multiple-terrorism-cases/ Pakistan’s Imran Khan Pushes Court Battle, Protected From Arrest in Multiple Terrorist Cases | Wagon Radio 720

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